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El D. S. A. HOWENSTINE 



V. 



FROM THE IJL",*;, 



GRADLE TO THE GRAVE; 



LIFE OF 



ELD. SOLON A. HOWENSTINE, 



BY 



LYDIA HOWENSTINE.^wwvJl 



FOMT WAYNE, INDIANA, 

D. W. UNDERWOOD, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 
1894. 




3^734-3 



Copyright, 1894, 

By LYDIA HOWENSTINE. 

All Rights Reserved. 



J 

(0 

ir- 



©ON/TEl-NT©. 



Page 

CHAPTER I 9 

Childhood and Parentage. — The Childhood 
Home. — Speaking in Public. 

CHAPTER II 15 

Experiences in a New Country. — Startling 
News. — Carried Home. 

CHAPTER III 20 

Removals. — A Large Family. — Interesting 
Evenings. 

CHAPTER IV 25 

A New Life. — An Assault Prevented — New 
Life in Christ Jesus. 

CHAPTER V 30 

Taking the Census and Taking a Wife. — Visit- 
ing in His Native State. — United in Marriage. 
— Moving on a Farm. 

CHAPTER VI 35 

Going Into the Ministry. — Licensed to Preach. 
— Calls to New Fields. — Letter from Mrs. B. 
E. Gillespie, 

CHAPTER VII 41 

Pastoral Work. — Talks with Laboring Men. — 
Christ's Work on Earth. — A Visit to a Sick 
Lady. — Sickness Among the Old People. — A 
Dear Friend Departed. 

CHAPTER VIII 50 

A Meeting Unexpectedly Protracted. — An Invi- 
tation to the Penitent. — Home Study and Map 
Drawing. — Changes in Contemplation — Possi- 
ble to Control Temper. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IX 57 

Leaving the Farm. — Parting With What is Dear 
to Us. — Moving to the City. — A Good Sermon 
Appreciated. 

CHAPTER X 63 

A Wonderful Meeting. — Reinforcements. — Last 
Visit to the Old Home Church. — Letter from the 
Elder to His Parents. 

CHAPTER XI 70 

Removing to a New Field of Labor. — Too 
Busy to Visit. — Preached His Last Sermon. — 
A Treasure in Heaven. — Her Spirit He Would 
Not Recall. 

CHAPTER XII ?Z 

The Last Communion. — The Pastor's Request. 
— A Hope That Never Falters. 

CHAPTER XIII 83 

The Last Enemy. — Approaching the End — 
The Spirit Took Its Flight. 

CHAPTER XIV 88 

After the Struggle. — Preparations for the Bur- 
ial. — The Funeral. 

CHAPTER XV 93 

Extracts from the Funeral Discourse, Delivered 
by Rev. J. V. Updike. — Called to Higher Work. 
— Fit for the Society of Angels. 

CHAPTER XVI 98 

Obituary, by Rev. Updike, Editor of "The 
Good News". — Rejoicing in Success. — Not 
Dead but Sleeping. — Superintendent for Nine 
Years. — Resolutions. 

CHAPTER XVII 105 

Obituary and Memorium. — Fought a Good 
Fight. — Asleep in Jesus. — A Tribute. — Anx- 
ious for the Salvation of All. — Prompting. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVIII... 113 

Elder Howenstines's Last Sermon. — Desired 
Letters. — Behold He Prayeth. — Suffer for the 
Name of Jesus. — Teaching and Preaching. — Ye 
That Fear God, Give Audience. — The God's 
Likeness of Men. 

CHAPTER XIX 124 

Christmas Sermon Preached at Salem by P.ld. S 
A. Howenstine December 25, 1892. — Wonder- 
ful Councellor.— Its Holy Light Still Lingers.— 
Speak the Truth with Thy Neighbor. 

CHAPTER XX 131 

A Mother to Her Son. » 

CHAPTER XXI 136 

Easter Sermon, Preached by Eld. S. A. How- 
enstine at Salem. -The King's Seal. 

CHAPTER XXII 148 

A Tribute to the Memory of S. A. Howenstine 
by Eld. A. M. Gillespie, 

CHAPTER XXIII 153 

The Story of a Precious Life. 

CHAPTER XXIV 158 

Poems. 

CHAPTER XXV 166 

Conclusion. 




It was not the design of the writer when this commonplace 
sketch of biography was commenced to place it before the public. 
It was only our aim to chronicle some of the more important events 
of the pure, noble, useful, and holy life of our beloved son, Solon A. 
Howenstine, and form them into a neat manuscript to lay away with 
other relics of the dear departed one. But as the work of preparing 
the manuscript progressed, we reflected more and more on the fact 
that his beautiful life went out before it had reached the zenith of 
his manhood; and comparatively few had come under the influence 
of its effulgent rays. When we light a candle we must not put it 
under a bushel, but put it on a candle-stick, that all may see it, and 
be benefitted by the light thereof. 

This is an age when mothers almost shudder at the thought of 
raising a boy; on account of the pernicious influences that are 
thrown around boys at such an early age. Good mothers fear and 
dread the period in life when the child first leaves the parental roof 
to attend the primary school, for fear that it will be robbed of its 
innocence and purity; and have its sweet child character contami- 
nated. If anything that we have recorded in the following pages 
will aid in keeping these little ones from the corrupting influences 
of evil society, we will freelv give it to them. We give a brief 
history of this noble character; first as a child, then a youth, then 
as a young man, as a school teacher, a Sunday school superintendent, 
and as a farmer, and a carpenter, a candidate for office, and a min- 
ister of the gospel. And, through all these vicissitudes he was the 
same generous, noble, kind hearted christian gentleman, loved and 
esteemed bv all; and almost idolized by those who knew him best. 



VI PREFACE. 

There are many biographies written and published, but they are 
generally of those, who, have had many advantages in life. Such 
as high parentage, wealth, affluence, leisure, educational advantages 
in high schools, and colleges. But the subject of this little volume 
came up through the rough school of experiences and adorned, 
beautified, and sweetened all the common walks of life by his 
examples of patience, forbearance and brotherly kindness. And 
when he laid aside all his other vocations in life and concentrated 
all the power of his intellect and the benefit of his wide experience 
upon the ministry of the gospel, he met with a success seldom 
achieved by those of superior advantages. It is for the benefit of 
those who are hampered by circumstances and financially cramped, 
and with no resources but their own exertions, that we present the 
picture of this beautiful and useful life; that it may be transcribed 
on the tablet of memory and give impetus to the progress of gen- 
erations to come. 

LYDIA HOWENST1NE. 



FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. 

Life of ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 



CHAPTER I. 

CHILDHOOD AND PARENTAGE THE CHILDHOOD HOME 

SPEAKING IN PUBLIC. 

|g|OLON A. HOWENSTINE, was born November 29th, 
c |||x 1856, in Stark county, Ohio. His ancestry were of 
^p German stock; from Hanover on his father's side, and 
from Prussia, on his mother's side. His earliest ancestor in 
America on his father's side, was George Howenstine, who 
emigrated to Lancaster county, Pa. , previous to the Revolu- 
tionary War, with his brother, John. They both enlisted in 
the service of the Colonists under General Washington. 
They were both taken prisoners by the British and John died 
of starvation and exposure; but George survived. He was 
an expert blacksmith and could shoe horses for the British 
officers with neatness and dispatch; for this reason he was 
better fed, and better cared for than the common prisoners. 
After the close of the war he married and became the 
father of six children, namely : John, George, William, 
Samuel, Elizabeth and Rosanna. Samuel, the grandfather 
of the subject of this little volume, married Barbara Bender, 
and there were eight children born to them, six of whom 
lived to maturity, Samuel Howenstine was a prominent 
member and elder in the pioneer Christian Church at Sparta, 
Stark county, O.: and his home was the comfortable retreat 
of the old pioneer preachers of Alexander Campbell's refor 



IO FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. 

mation, and his amiable wife left nothing undone that would 
contribute to the comfort of such ministers as John Whit- 
acre, Wilford A. Hall, author of ' 'Problem of Life," 
' 'Microcosm," &c. , and Lockhart, Moss, Lisitor McBride, 
and many others. 

The children they raised to maturity, were Henry, 
Mary, William, Isaac, Sarah and Caroline. William, the 
second son, married Lydia Kimmel, youngest daughter of 
David Kimmel, Esq. This young lady was twenty-two 
years of age when married and was a school teacher of 
more than ordinary success and a great lover of books; 
especially books of history, biography, and poetry; and had 
spent most of the meagre wages that teachers received in 
those days in the purchase of books and apparatus for 
teaching. We commenced housekeeping in a small, but 
neat frame cottage which stood on the east bank of the 
Nimeshilen river near the highway leading from Sandyville 
to Canton in Stark county, Ohio. The west bank of the 
river was a large and very steep hill, covered by a dense 
growth of trees and shrubbery, which made a most beau- 
tiful background to this rural picture. In this pleasant little 
home we lived till there were five children born into the 
family. The eldest was Solon A., the subject of this little 
sketch of biography. The second was Barbara E., who is 
the wife of Elder Arthur Gillespie. The third was 
Acenath, the wife of Wilbert J. Kaufman. The fourth, 
Winfield Scott, only brother of the deceased, and married to 
Alice Kiser. The fifth, Mary L. , wife of Everet Kaufman. 

Solon was a slender, delicate child at his birth and 
before he was three months old he took a very malignant 
type of whooping cough, which came near terminating his 
baby existence; but by the skill and watchful care of Dr. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. II 

D. L. Gants, our family physician, good nursing and the 
blessing of Providence, he was restored to health, and 
became a very bright and interesting child. He was the 
first grandchild in the Howenstine family, and was much 
beloved by all of its members, especially by his grandpa 
and his uncle, Henry Howenstine and wife, who were child- 
less. As soon as little Solon could run about, his grandpa, 
who was a venerable old c 'soldier of the cross," would 
come and take him by the hand and take long walks on the 
banks of the river and would often come back carrying him 
in his arms wrapt in the sweet slumbers of childhood. It 
was in company with his grandpa that he learned many of 
his early lessons in natural history, and the geography of 
the old home farm and the surrounding neighborhood. 
And as he learned to admire the beauties of nature, he was 
steadily pointed through them to the great God who created 
them, and taught to love Him, because He created all 
things so good and so beautiful. But, alas ! these pleasant 
walks and talks soon came to an end, as do ail the joys ot 
earth. When Solon was in his fifth year and had a little 
sister to share his joys and sports, his dear old grandpa was 
called from time to eternity. And dear as he loved these 
little grand-children and his own beloved wife and family, 
relatives, neighbors, and the church over which he had the 
oversight for many years, he was glad to go, and * 'be absent 
from the body and present with the Lord." In his dying 
hour, after having put his hands on his little grand-children 
and blessing them, he sweetly sang : 

"I would not live alway; I ask not to stay 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way; 

The few lurid mornings that dawn on us here 
Are enough for life's joys, full enough of its cheer." 



12 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Then he passed sweetly out of this world of sin and 
sorrow while some of the bystanders were finishing the 
hymn. Old Father Whitacre was requested to preach the 
funeral discourse, but he declined saying that he might as 
well undertake to preach at the funeral of his own father or 
brother, as that of Father Howenstine. They then procured 
the service of A. B. Way, of Alliance, Ohio. His remains 
were laid away in the the Green Ridge cemetery near the 
school house where Solon first went to school. After the 
death of his grandpa, he seemed more attached to his 
mamma than ever before, though his papa was very kind and 
affectionate toward him. No matter how busily we were en- 
gaged at work we would always take time to answer his' 
questions and explain things he did not understand. It was 
in the years that closely followed this event that his mother 
taught him many grand lessons regarding our duty to God 
and our fellow man. Such as the Golden Rule, the parable 
of the good Samaritan, and that of the Sower, and how the 
human heart is like a garden, with a soil that must be pre- 
pared to receive the good seed of the kingdom; and how it 
must be cultivated and the tares rooted out, in order to have 
an abundant harvest of fruit that will be fit for the Master's 
table. And also the story of Joseph, the faith of Abraham, 
the choice of Ruth, the jealousy of Haman, the promotion 
of Mordica, and many other lessons drawn from the little 
incidents of every day life. And also how it is possible to 
pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks. 

About this time our boy had his first experience in 
going to the district school. His "guardian angel" or 
escort for the first term was Lizzie Hisem, an amiable and 
refined young lady that lived near by. His first school 
teacher or instructor in the common school was Rachel 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 1 3 

Crisinger, who is now the wife of Rev. G. W. Sic- 
afoose, presiding elder in the state of Washington. He 
went to school three terms to this estimable lady, who was 
in former years a pupil in his mother's school for four terms. 
And, it was under the tutorship of this lady that he took 
his first lessons in speaking or declaiming in school. His 
mother composed and taught him many little appropriate 
pieces to speak on these occasions, and in the last of the 
three terms, he occasionally went to a lyceum on Friday 
evenings, that was connected with the school. At one of 
these meetings little Solon spoke "The House that Jack 
Built," and when he came to the "rat that ate the malt" he 
pulled out of his pocket a large rat made of gray cotton 
; f flannel, with head and feet and a real rat's tail; and amid cheers 
and laughter he said with emphasis, "and this is the rat 
that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. " In 
long years after this, when he thought and spoke as a man 
and had almost forgotten these childish things, he was 
preaching at Beach Grove, in Allen county, Ind., when a 
strange lady came into the neighborhood to visit relatives. 
She came with them to church and was much interested in 
the manner in which the preacher presented the gospel, and 
enquired who he was; on being told that it was Solon How- 
stine, she exclaimed, "And is that Solon Howenstine! I 
saw him at the Green Ridge school house in Ohio when a 
small boy and heard him speak, 'The House that Jack 
built;' I said then that I'd bet we would hear from him in 
after years if he lived." Victor Burnet, a connection of 
the family of Wm. S. Howenstine, was his earliest play- 
mate; and many an hour did they spend in the old mill yard 
on the river bank, with their sleds, carts, kites and 
driving hoops. And Sarah A. Haverland, whom he 



14 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

named "Bodie" for a pet name, was the Peggotta of his 
early childhood. 

Before concluding this chapter I will give one more 
little incident illustrating his childish joys and sorrows. 
One bright summer morning his mamma started him and his 
little sister, Barbara, to school. They were as happy as 
the birds that caroled to them as they passed along, and 
their faces were as bright as the daisies that nodded to them 
by the wayside as they passed. When they got to 'Squire 
Howenstine's they set their dinner bucket down outside the 
gate and went in to wait for Mary, a little orphan girl that 
was living there. In a few minutes the trio came tripping 
out along the walk in high glee, when lo ! and behold ! a big 
old pig had eaten their dinner and rolled the pail down the 
hill. Then was heard a wail of sorrow equal to Rachel mourn- 
ing for her children and refusing to be comforted because 
they were not. But these dear children were comforted; 
for good "Old Aunt Teeny" came out with her spectacles 
pushed back on her head and dropping words of love and 
pity at every step, and drove the naughty old pig away and 
gathered up the pail and lid and took them into the kitchen 
and washed them, and spread great slices of flaky bread 
with golden butter and put them in the pail with slices of 
cheese and ham and wiped away their tears and sent them 
on their way rejoicing. "Be ye doers of the word, not 
hearers only, and ye shall be likened unto a man who built 
his house upon a rock. " This term of school and the winter 
term following, taught by Harris Smith, of Bolivar, ended 
his school days in Ohio. 

Be on duty every day 

And let your words be mild, 
E'en if wrath beset your way 
* Speak gently to the child. 



CHAPTER II. 

EXPERIENCES IN A NEW COUNTRY STARTLING NEWS — CAR- 
RIED HOME. 

IN THE month of February, 1862, Solon A. Howen- 
|B stine, with his parents, little brother, and sisters, removed 
^ to Whitley county,. Ind. This was their first car ride 
and it was very novel and exciting to the children. The 
country was new and wild, and nearly everybody lived in 
log cabins. The house into which we moved was built of 
round logs with the bark on and hewn down on the inside, 
and the cracks between the logs were filled with clay mortar 
and ceiled with clapboards, and a great old fashioned chim- 
ney fire place, with a brick hearth, in the east end of the 
cabin. And when the children first entered the house they 
exclaimed, "O! what's that big hole for?" But they soon 
found out what it was for, by a bright cheerful fire being 
built in the "big hole." Here, the scenery was new to the 
children, and the boy, Solon, was in great glee on the new 
farm, helping his father tap sugar trees, boiling maple 
syrup, filling egg shells with hot sugar, and getting up 
wood for the fires, till at length the summer school com- 
menced. A young lady, who came with the family from 
Ohio, was the teacher, and was a sister of his former lady 
teacher. It seemed to be a streak of good fortune that he 
had the best of teachers in his childhood which was a great 



1 6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

advantage to him, in forming good habits and being genteel 
and polite. A very marked trait of character, in his school 
days, was to take the part and defend those who were 
abused by unruly schoolmates, or of those who were made 
sport of because they were poorly clad or dull of appre- 
hension. This made him many warm friends and also 
some enemies. So far, in his life he never had the privi- 
lege of attending Sunday school, and here there was no 
Disciple Church nearer than Andrews, a distance of fifteen 
miles, but Solon with his sisters went occasionally to the 
Sunday school at the Methodist church two miles west of 
their home. Everything seemed to be going on pleasantly, 
but dark, sad days were coming. 

At this time fever and ague prevailed in this locality to 
an alarming extent. His father was afflicted with this 
malady more or less for four or five years. Indeed it seemed 
as though he could scarcely get acclimated. And this 
threw many heavy burdens and much hard labor on Solon 
and his mother, but with grit and courage we persevered 
and kept things moving indoors and out. His father brought 
a large and very gentle grey horse from the old Buckeye 
state, and the boy would stand on a box and harness him, 
and hitch to a sled and go to the field and get a load 
of corn, when his father was sick. When he was eight 
years old he would mount this horse and ride four miles for 
the doctor or medicine and the mail, and once in this trying 
time he rode six miles on a strange road to do an errand 
and did not return till quite a while after dark. We were 
very uneasy concerning him; thought perhaps he had taken 
the wrong road and got lost. We stood outside of the 
cabin waiting, watching and listening as anxious parents 
will, when at length we heard the sound of horse's hoofs 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1/ 

and the boy whistling and singing as though darkness and 
strange roads were no terror to him. When his father 
looked so pale and weak and discouraged he would often 
say, "papa just stay in the house and lay down on the bed 
and read the papers, we will get along all right with the 
out-door work." His father at this time took the i 'New 
York Tribune/' edited by Horace Greely, and the "Amer- 
ican Agriculturist," edited by Orange Judd. The war of 
the rebellion was still going on, and young as the boy was 
he could hardly wait till the papers came to hear the news 
of the war. And on Sunday morning following that event- 
ful day, the i4th of April, 1865, when a neighbor passed 
by and informed the family that President Lincoln was 
assassinated, he was almost wild with grief and excitement 
-and exclaimed, "Where will they get a man wise and good 
enough to fill his place?" We explained to him that 
the vice president would be made president and 
fill his place, but perhaps not so efficiently as Mr. 
Lincoln himself. The summer passed with its bright 
days and dark ones, with its sunshine and showers, and the 
father still in poor health, and Solon, the little "man of all 
work" did not get to school but a few days; but we still 
kept encouraging him, by telling him that, he was growing 
so large and strong that when the winter school commenced 
he could go every day, though it was a mile and a half 
distant. But these plans were laid, and bright hopes 
entertained only to be frustrated; for the children had 
only gone to the winter school three weeks when a malig- 
nant whooping cough broke out in the school and a few 
cases proved fatal. There were five children to have this 
unpleasant and lingering disease, for another little sister had 
come to liye in the family; Ollie was her name and is now 



1 8 FRCM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

the wife of Ingram Merriman. We plainly saw that our 
winter's work was "cut out;" and by the time that they had 
the disease a week or two, it took the father and mother 
and Solon to take care of them. But our little hero was 
not discouraged, but kept bright and cheerful and would 
sit with his book or paper in his hand and rock the cradle 
or hold the baby, and bring in the wood and keep up the 
fires, and have a word of cheer for each of the little suf- 
ferers. His dear brother, Winfield Scott, took pneumonia 
and lay for weeks under the doctor's care, struggling 
between life and death. But, at length, as the winter began 
to wane and the sunbeams of early spring came to kiss the 
:Spots of grass where the snow had melted away, life began 
to get the mastery, and the monster, Death, had to beat a 
hasty retreat. Now, everything began to look brighter and 
the home had a more cheerful aspect. The father could 
begin to leave the house and go to his outdoor work, as the 
tired and careworn mother was relieved of some of her 
labor by a lady friend. Callie Finkenbinder, now Mrs. G. 
W. Howenstine, who came to stay a few weeks. One 
bright morning while there was still some snow and ice on 
the ground, Mr. Hovenstine went into the barn lot with 
his son, Solon, to load a large walnut log, and just as they 
were palling it up with the horses, a neighbor, Bushnel by 
name, came up unobserved behind the log, and just at that 
instant the chain broke, and the log rolled back with great 
force and rapidity over the man, with nothing to break its 
force and weight but a heavy fence rail, breaking one of 
his legs, crushing his shoulder, and almost mashing his 
skull. Mr. Howenstine uttered an awful shriek which 
alarmed some of the neighbors, but immediately he and 
Solon picked up the mangled man and carried him to the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I9 

house. Mr. Howenstine held him by the shoulders and 
Solon by the feet; and as they carried him along Solon kept 
saying, "Papa, he's a dying; papa he is dying;" but never 
flinched or let go his hold till they were met at the porch 
by his mother and friend, Callie. Then there was nothing 
else to be done but to take this mangled man in the house 
among the convalescing children and have his limbs set and 
his wounds dressed as soon as a surgeon could be procured. 
But, in six or eight hours it was all gone through with and 
the man made as comfortable as possible and carried home 
on a single bed, and the children did not seem much the 
worse, at least none of them took a relapse. These events 
or circumstances may seem monotonous to some of my 
readers, but I relate them mainly, to portray the sad exper- 
iences which Eld. S. A. Howenstine passed through in the 
first decade of his life. 

"Where the heart of happy childhood 

In its purest rapture swells 

Is the home where virtue dwells." 




CHAPTER III. 

REMOVALS A LARGE FAMILY INTERESTING EVENINGS. 

"Not content, but ever pressing 
To the goal of hearts desire." 

^jf^FTER the occurence of the events related in the fore- 

( \ g°i n g chapter, Mr. Howenstine became dissatisfied 
/ / \ 
^^ with the place, on account of so much sickness and 

bad luck, and the inconvenience of church and school. 
He would often say that the children would never get an edu- 
cation as long as we stay here. And from this time 
he began to look out lor some one who wished to purchase 
a farm. In the spring following, he heard of one of his 
old neighbors, John Henry, moving to the county. As 
soon as they arrived he went to visit them and told them 
of his intention of selling out. Mr. Henry came and saw 
the farm and was quite well pleased with it, and in a few 
weeks came and purchased it. Two years before, Mr. 
Howenstine had built a room to the south side of the 
cabin with a loft, and a porch to the east. The spring was 
opening pleasantly, and men were busy at work on their 
farms, and of course Mr. Henry wanted possession of his 
farm. Mr. Howenstine failed in getting a house at this 
time that would be convenient for him to come and cut his 
harvest. So Mr. Henry concluded to move in the south 
room of the cabin, where they thought they could live till 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTlNE. 21 

after harvest, by putting some of their goods in the corn 
house., Sister Henry was a disciple; a member of the old 
pioneer church at Sparta, Ohio, and was the mother of ten 
children, all living when they moved in with the Howen- 
stines'. This brought sixteen children together, as it 
were, in one family. The mothers did not lament for 
more room or better accommodations, but the lament was 
that the church of their choice was fifteen miles away and 
how could they bring up their children in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord. But two women's heads put 
together always accomplishes something. They wrote a 
letter to Brother Shortrage, of Wabash, Ind., asking him 
to come and preach for them occasionally at the 
school house in their own district. With much joy 
they received an answer in the affirmative. And that 
summer the first Disciple meeting was held in that vicinity. 
Brother Shortrage was a plain, earnest, logical preacher 
and drew together a good audience of attentive hearers, 
and before the year closed Mr. Henry, his oldest daugh- 
ter, and a number of others, heard and obeyed the gospel, 
were baptized and arose to walk in newness of life. This 
family of twenty persons lived here in perfect peace and 
harmony for five months. Of course the children would 
sometimes have little difficulties about their playthings, but 
they were never taken up and brooded over by the parents 
who were day by day teaching their children to live in 
peace with all men, and do good to all, especially to the 
household of faith. 

Sister Henry was a woman who talked much on religious 
subjects and could quote almost any passage of scripture 
she ever read, and. Solon was so interested in these sub- 
jects that he would leave the sports and plays, the children 



22 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

were engaged in, and come and listen to these talks. The 
oldest son of the Henry family was Calvin C. Henry, who 
is now proprietor of the South Whitley saw mills. About 
the middle of August the Howenstine family removed to 
the school district north of their former home, known as 
the Bash school. Here Solon was a schoolmate and became 
an intimate friend of Elder Edmund Miller, of whom we 
shall have occasion to speak in some following chapter. 
From this school he passed into the Washington Center 
school and from there, by another removal, to the school 
at Mering Corners, which was then being taught by Dr. 
Trembly, of Larwell. Here his father purchased what was 
known as the "Old Beckley farm" on the northwest corner 
of which, the aforesaid school house was located, and went 
heavily in debt in order to get a home convenient to school 
and church, and for the first time in the history of our 
family did the children have the opportunity of attending 
Sunday school regularly, There was no church building in 
this vicinity when we came to the place; all the public 
meetings were held at the school house. 

The young people had a literary society in session 
when we came to the place. This was very encouraging 
to the children. Solon said it reminded him of the "Old 
Green Ridge Lyceum." Our home was less than a mile 
from the village of Forest or Laud, as the postoffice was 
called. Here were places where men and boys would 
resort to spend their evenings in talking, smokmg, whittling 
telling stories and playing games. Now the question was 
how to interest these children and especially the boys, the 
older of which was fourteen and the younger nine, so 
that they would have no desire to go to these places to spend 
their evenings. In the first place their father set the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 23 

example of being at home evenings, unless business called 
him away. 

I would mention here that the father was very short 
of means and labored very hard every day in order to send 
the children to school, and would do his chores and 
errands after it was too dark to work in the fields. 

This left most of the evening training and amusing 
of the children to the mother. We would pull out the 
old fashioned table, put up the leaves, place a bright 
light in the center, and get the children all around it with 
their books and slates, and paper and pencils; and ' 'mamma'' 
was the lexicographer, the speller, the mathematician, the 
historian and almost everything to the children. 

In order to get them interested in history and geog- 
raphy, she would tell them stories of the Pharaos of 
Egypt, the kings of Babylon and Ninevah; of Cyrus, Cnm- 
bysis and Cyaxarus. Of the great wisdom and eloquence 
of Cicero, Damosthenes, Solon, and Lycurgus; and of the 
heroic deeds of Washington, Grant, Garfield, Sherman and 
many other men and women of talent and valor. 

She was their advisor as to their company, the books 
that they should read and the games that it was proper to 
engage in. Their parents taught them that dancing in 
itself, with the sexes separate, is a harmless amusement; 
but as it is practiced in this country, and in this age of 
the world's history, with late hours, improper clothing and 
the commingling of the sexes and also with the use of 
strong drinks, and rich viands all combined, it is a great 
evil, and often the destruction of young people belonging 
to the best of families. And also that gambling whether 
it be with cards, horse racing or selling baking powder, &c. , 



24 



FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 



is the devils work just dressed up in a differc it garb, to 
make an innocent appearance. 

"With books or work or healthful play, 

Let my first years be passed ; 
That I may give for every day 

Some good account at last." 




CHAPTER IV. . 

A NEW LIFE AN ASSAULT PREVENTED NEW LIFE IN 

CHRIST JESUS. 

ROM what has been related of his early training", we 
may infer that Solon A. Howenstine grew up with a 
^^ genuine love for home and everything that is good, 
pure and lovely. He soon showed by his rapid progress 
in his studies, and his ability in penmanship that he was 
far above the mediocrity. He took special lessons in pen- 
manship from Reuben Houser, of Roanoke, R. H. 
Mering, of Laud, and the teacher of penmanship at Val- 
paraiso, where he also took a course in other studies. 
During several fall terms he attended Normals conducted 
by such men as A. J. Douglas, Prof. Barnhart, Smith I. 
Hunt, and others. He was now grown to manhood, and 
was free from all bad habits, polite, pure and intelligent. 
Did not use tobacco nor strong drink of any 'kind: yet he 
was one of the most cheerful and jubilant young men in the 
neighborhood. He was a charter member and secretary of 
the first Good Templar society in the vicinity of Laud. He 
was not satisfied with merely knowing how to farm besides his 
literary persuits. He said every man, no matter what his 
other qualifications may be, ought to know how to do plain 
carpenter work. So he worked with a set of competent 
carpenters two summers and the intervening winter he 



26 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

taught his first school two miles from home, This was the 
only time he ever went out to apply for a school. After 
he taught his first term the schools applied for him. 

About this time there was a great religious excitement 
in the neighborhood through a meeting conducted by a 
man by the name of Wood, who is now in California. 
The Disciple church here at this time was very weak finan- 
cially and otherwise and had but few members. Bro. Lewis 
Deems, elder and leading member, had removed to Mans- 
field, Ohio, to take care of his superanuated father; and the 
church was left without a regular preacher or an efficient 
leader, but, a few very faithful members were left, and they 
met every Lord's Day to remember the death and suffering 
of their dear departed Master, who promised to meet with 
us, as long as two or three will meet for worship. We had 
a union Sunday school, conducted by the United Brethren 
and Disciples. During the fall of 1875 the United Breth- 
ren held a protracted meeting conducted by Rev. Wood 
and took in nearly all the young people in the neighbor- 
hood, except S. A. Howenstine and his sisters. Though 
his oldest sister (Mrs. Gilespie) rose up and made confes- 
sion of her faith in Jesus Christ, but was baptized by Eid. 
Hammond, a Christian minister at North Union, and 
united with the home church, and for about two years was 
the only single member in the little congregation. I will 
mention here that while this excitement was in full sway, 
one day when Mr. Howenstine was absent and there was 
some company present, a man you might call a fanatic 
came to their home claiming to have had a revelation. He 
said it had been revealed to him that this family was going 
to hell because they were members of the Disciple Church 
and would not leave it and join another. This was too 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 2*] 

much for the young man Solon; though he was not yet a 
church member himself, he could not stand to have such 
accusations brought against his parents and sister. The 
color rose to his face showing that he was quite angry. 
He arose and advanced toward him with open hand ready 
to grasp him by the throat and put him out of the door 
near which he was standing, when his mother gently stepped 
between them and said, "My son you must not do any- 
thing in anger and violence. This man is certainly not in 
his right mind, and we will pay no attention to what he 
says." This was the only time that Solon was ever known 
to attempt to make an assault on any person. 

The United Brethren built a church in the summer of 
I876 a few rods north of the school house where they 
formerly held their meetings. After the dedication they 
moved the Sunday school supplies over to the church 
expecting the scholars and teachers to all follow. But the 
Disciples and some others did not feel like following these 
shepherds. So after a good deal of consulting and plan- 
ning and praying, they concluded to organize a Sunday 
school of their own. The writer was intrusted with the 
superintendence of it. We saw very plainly that we must 
have a preacher, and after some deliberation we secured 
the services of Rev. H. M. Lambert, of Andrews, as our 
pastor. The first year he preached three sermons per 
month for the small sum of fifty dollars, but the work of 
the Master prospered under his pastoral care. The church 
increased in strength and membership, and as it grew strong 
in faith and love and good works, the worthy pastor was 
better compensated for his labor; and money and building 
material was pledged for a church building in the village of 
Forest, one mile from the school house where Bro. Lam- 



28 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

bert preached. It was during the ministration of this 
faithful preacher, which continued without any intervention 
for nearly seven years, that Solon Howenstine and three 
of his sisters obeyed the gospel and were added to the 
church. 

When the church building was finished Rev. Melvin 
Gailier, of Mansfield, Ohio, preached the dedicatory ser- 
mon and assisted Bro. Lambert in holding a protracted 
meeting in the new church. The building of this church 
had been in contemplation for over fifteen years and had 
been deferred on account of means, and its occupation was 
now a season of great rejoicing, and the first protracted 
meeting was entered into with a spirit of true devotion and 
unwavering faith, which in connection with the preaching 
of the pure, plain gospel of Christ would of course bring 
success. 

Solon Howenstine's conversion was the first fruits of 
the meeting. On that memorable night alter he had come 
forward and confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
he asked the members of the church to bow in prayer in 
his behalf; after which he said he wished to speak a few 
words. He addressed his speech to his young companions. 
He said: "My friends, if I have ever said or done any 
wrong to any of you, I ask you to forgive me. I have 
taken* a step to night that I have been contemplating for 
some time; and, I consider it the grandest, wisest, and 
noblest act that I have ever done; and I ask you, my young 
companions to go with me, and give your hearts to God, 
and take your place in the church, and we will help each 
other, and build each other up, and all rejoice together." 

There were a number of the young people who heeded 
this wise counsel and obeved the call of the Savior and the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 2Q 

church, which is always "Come." Yes, "the Spirit says 
come; and the Bride says come; and let him that heareth 
say, come; and let him that is athirst come, and partake 
of the water of life freely." On the following Lord's Day, 
he and several others were baptized in Eel river, three 
miles south of Columbia City. Solon was at this time 
teaching school at Sugar Grove, where he taught seven 
successive terms. He had now commenced a new life in 
Christ Jesus; old things had passed away and all things had 
become new. But, unlike most of young men when they 
come into the church, he did not need to spend his time 
and strength in fighting bad habits; he was ready at once to 
go to work in the vineyard of the Master. He commenced 
work in the prayer meeting, in the Sunday school, in the 
family, in the day school, and in society. In the spring 
following he taught a term of writing school and later in 
the summer he began carpenter's work again on a large 
barn for a man that was an infidel and was the owner of 
quite a library of this class of literature, and with a rough, 
jolly set of hands; but he was as jolly as any of them; but 
he kept the faith, read his Bible, watched his tongue, 
attended prayer meeting, and pra3^ed in secret. Once when 
he came home, he said, "Mother, how glad I am that I 
obeyed the gospel when I did. I am sure I could not work 
among those fellows without being influenced by them, if 
it were not for the help of God. I look to Him forstength 
in time of weakness." O! who can tell what a source of 
joy and comfort this was to the loving mother, whose 
prayers and best wishes followed him in all the walks of 
life. 

"A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heav- 
iness of his mother." — Proverbs. 



CHAPTER V. 

TAKING THE CENSUS AND TAKING A WIFE VISITING IN HIS 

NATIVE STATE UNITED IN MARRIGE MOVING ON A 

FARM. 

1TN THE summer of 1879, S. A. Howenstine worked 
|n faithfully at his trade till the busy season of work was 
^ over; then he attended a six weeks term of Normal 
School at Columbia City, and helped his father with the 
farm work till the first of November, when his winter 
school commenced. This winter he taught writing and 
drawing on Tuesday evenings. In the spring following he 
made application for an appointment to take the census for 
the present year (1880) in Washington township, and being 
a good penman and having a good recommendation, he 
was the lucky applicant, and during the month of June he 
canvassed the township and made out his reports and took 
them to the proper authorities; then helped his father cut 
and take care of the harvest, and on the first of August he 
and his sister, Minnie, started to attend a Normal School 
conducted by Rev. A. J. Douglas. 

This was the year of the campaign of Garfield and 
Arthur, and this young voter took an active part in the 
political affairs of the day. He was a Republican from 
head to foot; and was a reader of the "Toledo Blade" and 
other leading papers. When the Normal closed he came 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 3 I 

home and put out a field of wheat and then sold books till 
the 1 2th of October when the state election came off. He 
was on the board and as soon as the votes were counted 
and the reports sent in, he began to make preparation to 
go back to his native state on a visit. It was sixteen years 
since he had been to the place of his birth — the home of 
his childhood. Many things were very much changed, 
others remained just as they were; the very yard gate was 
there yet where the pig demolished his school dinner, but 
the dear old lady who healed his childish sorrows had 
departed and gone to her reward. And his dear old 
grandma, (his father's mother) had departed; who used to 
be nearly always in the kitchen, and when her little grand- 
son would come she would have a ' 'turnover" baked and 
an egg put on to boil in a tin cup, and a stocking yarn ball 
ready for him to play with. And Isaac, his deaf mute 
uncle, with whom he used to converse by the finger alpha- 
bet, was also gone to his heavenly home. But the river, 
with its green banks, and the old w r ater saw mill and the 
roads and many of the trees seemed just as they were when 
he was a boy. 

He also went to visit the childhood home of his mother 
and found the dear old grandma still living and in a fair 
degree of health for one of her age. He was very much 
affected in meeting her and always afterward spoke of it with 
much feeling. He remained in those parts until the presi- 
dential election when he returned home and cast his first 
presidential vote for one of the best and greatest of men 
that the world ever produced, James A. Garfield; and on 
the 15th of November he commenced his fourth term of 
school at Sugar Grove. In this year (1881) he selected 
from his many lady friends Miss Jennie Merriman as the 



32 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

"fairest among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely." 
She was the daughter of James Merriman, a thrifty farmer 
of Washington township, and was his school mate at several 
Normals. She was a lady of refined taste, a bright and 
cheerful disposition, and a good housekeeper. She was a 
member of the Baptist church and was a quiet exemplary 
christian; but in a few years after this, she, with three other 
married ladies, Mesdame? lone Broch, Louisa Bentz and 
Hattie Kaufman, united with the Church of Christ at 
Forest, at a meeting held by M. L. Blaney. 

In the spring of 1881 a new two-story brick school 
building was let out for construction in the village of Forest 
and the school house at the Mering Corners was vacated 
and for sale. Solon Howenstine bought it for $130 and 
during the summer and fall of the same year he remodeled 
it into a comfortable dwelling house which still stands on 
its old site. On the 2d day of October, 1881, S. A. How- 
enstine and Jennie Merriman were united in marriage at 
the bride's home by Rev. P. J. Ward, a Baptist minister 
formerly of London, England, in the presence of about 
fifty relatives and neighbors. All the morning of this wed- 
ding day it poured down torrents of rain. Indeed it looked 
as though neither man nor beast could venture out. His 
sisters kept joking him about his luck, and told him that he 
would have to get a boat and row over to his "bonnie 
bride." "Weil," said he "I shall not be beat out. I 
know Jennie will be there and I am pretty sure the preacher 
will be there and I am determined too be there to, and we'll 
be married whether anybody else gets there or not." By 
that time he folded up his wedding suit and put it in a 
valise, put on his common suit and got out his horse and 
carriage and started through the unabated rain; but fortun- 



4 

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 33 

ately toward noon the rain drops thinned decreased and 
almost stopped; and nearly all the invited guests got there 
in time to partake of the well served dinner. The day 
following was one of sunshine and beauty, and Solon with his 
lovely bride was received at his father's house by a host of 
warm friends and relatives. Thus commenced the married 
life of these two "pilgrims of the cross," who journeyed 
together but twelve short, busy years. For some weeks 
following they were busy cleaning and papering their house 
and preparing for winter which was fast coming on; and on 
the 14th of November Solon began his fifth term of school 
at the same old place and boarded at his father's till Thanks- 
giving Day, when he gave his scholars a holiday and moved 
his wife and her goods and furniture to their new home, 
and had his Thanksgiving dinner there in company with the 
parents of both families and a few other friends. From 
this time on he boarded at home and had his devoted wife 
to put up his dinners and minister to his wants, and sympa- 
thize with a teacher's trials and cares. 

During the winter Solon taught his school, got his own 
wood and worked some at selling books. In the spring 
when school was closed he again laid hold of his hammer 
and saw and went to work at his trade. And through all 
this busy life he was a regular attendant and an active 
worker in the church and Sunday school and scarcely ever 
missed going to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting. 

On November 20th, 1882, he commenced his sixth 
term of school; and on Saturday the 6th of January, 1883, 
his first child was born, and in examining his diary we find 
that he did not nvse a day of school or of Sunday school 
on account of this little event. He was Sunday school super- 
intendent and was bright and early in his place, ready to 



34 FRCM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

receive congratulations. In the month of April they 
moved on the northwest corner of the Mering Corners 
known as the old Mering farm, where they lived for nearly 
ten years, I will not weary my readers with a detailed 
account of what transpired in these busy years. Suffice it 
to say that he taught two more terms of school, and kept 
his farm and its appurtinances in good shape, his stock 
in good condition, and filled many places of trust and 
honor in his immediate vicinity. 




CHAPTER VI. 

GOING INTO THE MINISTRY LICENSED TO PREACH — CALLS 

TO NEW FIELDS— ^LETTER FROM MRS. B. E. GILLESPIE. 



m 



If HE CHURCH at Forest was in need of a minister, 
and they had heard of the good work done in several 
fp^i places by Rev. S. C. Hummel. Mr. Howenstine, 
Solon's father, wrote to him telling him of the condition of 
the church and asking him to come and hold a meeting. 
About the middle of August, 1889, he came, a perfect 
stranger in person but not in reputation, and put up at our 
home and commenced a protracted meeting. Though it 
was a busy time for farmers, and the weather was very 
warm, the meeting was a successful one, there were several 
added and the church much revived and strengthened, and 
we were so fortunate as to secure his services as pastor for 
the ensuing year. He and Elder Solon Howenstine, (for 
he was then one of the elders of the church) soon became 
very intimate friends and were much together, arranging 
plans for Sunday school and church work. Elder Hummel 
asserted that he never visited a Sunday school that was so 
interesting and so well conducted as the one at Forest, con- 
ducted by brother Solon. He said, "Bro. Solon has energy, 
power, and zeal enough to make a success of anything he 
undertakes — he ought to be in the ministry instead of 
farming." 



36 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

In the spring of 1890 Solon was again appointed to 
take the census, but this work was not so congenial to his 
taste as it was ten years before, as he was revolving in his 
mind the thought of going into the ministry. He had 
also become disgusted with the politics of the two old 
parties, as neither of them had taken any measures to sup- 
press the liquor traffic or saloon privileges which are every 
year corrupting and ruining thousands of men and boys, 
and beggaring and destroying their families. He said he 
could not see how a Christian, not to say a minister, could 
conscientiously vote with either party. Elder Solon had 
been for some years studying the scriptures by subjects and 
dispensations, perhaps not so much with a view of going 
into the ministry as of being a competent teacher in the 
Sunday school, for, though he was superintendent for nine 
years, he, most of the time taught the young people's 
class beside. He kept adding volume after volume to his 
library, of such books as were helpful to him in his Bible 
studies. About this time Rev. Hummel urged and encour- 
aged him to go into the ministry and leave the minor duties 
to others, which he consented to do, though his wife was 
not quite reconciled to his entering into an occupation that 
would call him to be from home so much, as she had the 
wants of three small children to look after. 

Elder Hummel had preached for the Forest congrega- 
gation for three years and was about to enter other fields 
of labor, and he called on the congregation to take a vote 
on giving Brother S. A. Howenstine authority to preach 
the gospel in the Church of Christ. The vote was taken 
without a dissenting voice. His wife, after a severe strug- 
gle, subjugated her will and made it subservient to the will 
of Him who said. "Go ye into all the world and preach 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 37 

the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be 
damned." — Mark xvi, 15-16. His wife then turned her 
attention to the work of the church, how she might best 
assist her husband in the proclamation of the gospel and 
the care and oversight of the church. 

In the latter part of this year, S, A. Howenstine's 
brother-in-law, A. M. Gillespie, also went into the ministry, 
and they were co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord. 
They both began their work in churches that had gone 
down and were scattered and had been without a leader or 
shepherd. They went with loving tenderness and gathered 
up the scattered sheep and brought them again into the 
fold and invited others to come with them and "sit together 
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." And the success of 
one of these self-sacrificing laborers was the joy of the 
other; and when they met they would shake hands as though 
their bosoms could scarcely contain the emotions of their 
glad hearts. And their conversation and inquiries would 
not be, "how much money are you making?" "How 
many 5-20 bonds have you got laid away?" Or "how 
much fat stock have you got, ready for market?" Ah, no, 
they were something like this, "How is the little church 
prospering down there?" "Have you got the poor wan- 
dering souls about all gathered in?" "How many new 
members have come in?" "Have you succeeded in organ- 
izing a Sunday school?" "Is there good material for 
church and Sunday school officers?" Such questions as 
the above were what engrossed their attention and engaged 
their minds, and what subjects would be most suitable to 
present to these reclaimed members and new born babes, 
that they might grow and thrive on the "sincere milk ot 



38 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

the word," But their labors were not long in the same 
place, and they met less frequently, but with increased 
love and friendship. Elder Howenstine had now a call to 
preach at Salem, in Kosciusco county, Ind. , which, after 
he had gone there, and seen the place and got acquainted 
with the members, he accepted. Though prior to this he 
had made the acquaintance of some of the Duncleberger 
brothers, who are a * 'family of preachers" in that locality. 
If the writer has been correctly informed there are four 
brothers preaching at the present time; three of whom are 
located in western states. When Elder Howenstine went 
out to these places to work in the Master's vineyard he 
always kept Paul's charge to Timothy before his mind. "I 
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ. * * * Preach the word; be instant in season 
and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long- 
suffering and doctrine." 

"Work, for the night is coming 

Work through the sunny noon, 
Fill brightest hours with labor 

Rest comes sure and soon." 

LETTER FROM MRS. B. E. GILLESPIE. 

Dunfee, November 14th, 1890. 
My Deaf Brother Solon : 

As this is my thirty-second birthday, I thought I 
could spend it in no better way than to write you a letter 
of encouragement. As you and Arthur have both made 
up your minds to give the remainder of your lives to the 
ministry, I feel like telling you how my heart rejoices to 
know that I have a brother and a companion that are Will- 
ing to devote their lives to the service of Christ, by preach- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 39 

ing His glorious gospel to a lost and dying world. I look 
upon this act of enlistment as being braver than that of 
any knight, for who has such a captain ns the Lord Jesus 
Christ to give orders in time of battle, or who has given 
his soldiers such a complete armour ? Who has given the 
promise of so rich a reward, or what captain has said, "I 
will never leave nor forsake you." 0, may you be among 
the bravest of soldiers in the army of the Lord; may you 
keep the blood-stained banner of King Emanuel floating 
high above your comrades, that they may see that you are 
pointing them to victory. My prayer shall always be that 
you may succeed in persuading many to enlist in the grand 
army of the church of Christ our leader. To be sure there 
will be many hard battles to fight and many footsore marches 
to overtake the enemy. But I believe that you have enough 
courage and perseverance, through the sustaining grace of 
the Master, though it cost your life, to go through this 
great warfare and come out victorious on the peaceful shore 
of deliverance. You know many of our brave "boys in 
blue" gave their lives that we might enjoy peace and liberty; 
and much more ought we to be- willing to give our lives if 
need be, to set free the slaves of sin. There will be many 
bars to be broken, many chains to be severed, many a 
prison to unlock. 

But fear not, for he who said, "Go into all the world 
and preach the gospel," is able to help you, to strengthen 
you for every duty he has given you to perform. O, may 
you and Arthur always walk hand in hand, helping each 
other, strengthening the weak points in each others lives; 
and in your companionship in the work of the Lord, com- 
fort each other by the great and precious promises con- 
tained in the word of God. You have everything to 



FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

encourage you, for when God is for us, who can be against 
us, for he causeth us to triumph in Christ." Then you 
have our loving and devoted mother to give you words of 
cheer, comfort and advice, and a kind and affectionate com- 
panion to walk by your side as a helpmate in your pastoral 
work, and the prayers and best wishes of a father, brothers 
and sisters, and if need be a host of dear friends who are 
ready to say, "go on, God bless you in your grand work." 
From your affectionate sister, 

Mrs. B. E. Gillespie. 




CHAPTER VII. 

PASTORAL WORK TALKS WITH LABORING MEN CHRIST 1 S 

WORK ON EARTH A VISIT TO A SICK LADY SICKNESS 

AMONG THE OLD PEOPLE A DEAR FRIEND DEPARTED. 

"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight 
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but 
of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but 
being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd 
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not 
away."— 1 Peter V, 2-3-4. 

PfHE CHURCH at Salem was composed of members 
who were nearly all intelligent farmers, and lived in 
ff^ rural districts, and were only in moderate circum" 
stances and it was with some of them as our Lord prer 
dieted when he said to his disciples, "the poor ye have 
always with you; but me ye have not always. " On account 
of their lack of means they only secured Elder Howenstine's 
.services one-fourth of his time. And these visits, though 
but monthly, were very important and interesting to him, 
and he made thorough preparation for them, and when the 
time came, he went full of the Holy Ghost and of power, 
and the congregation felt its effect. The people soon 
began to say, "what manner of man is this; we never had 
a preacher that preached with such power; it seems almost 
irresistible — and his yisits, they are so consoling and cheer- 




42 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

ing, and it seems he can adapt himself to the circumstances 
of almost anyone." This was true, for he had "been 
there" himself. When, in his walks in visiting from house 
to house, he came to a man who was ditching he would 
take hold of his hard muck-stained hand and shake it as 
though his heart was in it, and be^in to talk about the 
labor, the soil, the depth, the fall, the tile, and the benefit 
of ditching these low boggy lands, &c. Then he would 
tell him about the meeting and ask him of his prospects of 
heaven. He would tell him that he had done many 
a day's ditching and knew just how tired a man was when 
he had finished a day's shoveling, remarking that one 
nearly always feels too tired to go to night meetings under 
these circumstances. Then he would take his leave by 
a hearty shake of the hand and a cordial "God bless you." 

The next person he came to was a man in the woods 
chopping cord wood and he accosted him as he did the 
man that was ditching, telling him "that the most wood 
that he ever cut and put up in a day was three cords, but 
it is hard work and takes persevering early and late to get 
that much done." 

From this man he learned that he had a large family 
to support and his wife was lying ill with a lingering dis- 
ease, and he was obliged to work every day to keep the 
"wolf from the door." The elder expressed his warmest 
sympathy and told him that he would call and visit them 
on Sunday afternoon when he could be at home; and told 
him that he was having meeting at the Salem church now, 
and said, "when your family gets well we would be be glad 
to see you all with us." 

When John sent his disciples to Christ to find out 
whether he was indeed the Messiah, Jesus told them to go> 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 43 

and tell John that the deaf hear, and the blind are made to 
see, the lame to walk and the poor have the gospel preached 
unto them. We do not profess to heal the infirmities of 
the body; but we do preach the gospel, to the poor, the 
, disconsolate and the broken-hearted and it shan't cost them 
anything either. So the day was passed walking over hill 
and field and woodland, making many calls and acquain- 
tances. Evening came and found Elder Howenstine early 
in the little church, which was being rapidly filled at an 
early hour, and he was just as busy as he used to be when 
he was a teacher in the school room; going and speaking 
to this one, and that one, and inviting them up to the front 
where they could see and hear better, and his face all aglow 
with the love of Jesus welling up from the heart, selecting 
songs and calling on members to speak or pray till the 
hour for preaching arrived; then he stepped up into the 
pulpit and who did he see pretty well to the front but the 
wood chopper and the man that was ditching. And after 
the singing of another song and a fervent prayer he preached 
from the 9th chapter, 4th verse of St. John's gospel. He 
discoursed on, how Jesus Christ came to this world, not as 
and idle pleasure seeker, or to go hunting or fishing and 
have a good time, but he was about his Father's business 
when he was but twelve years old, and had acquired so 
much knowledge that he confounded the lawyers and doc- 
tors with his questions and His wisdom, and between that 
time and his thirtieth year he learned and worked at the 
carpenter's trade, and I dare say that he was a model work- 
man in his time. From that time forward after going to 
Jordan and being baptized of John and the Holy Ghost as 
a dove alighting and abiding on Him, and a voice from 
heaven saying, "this is my beloved Son in whom I 



44 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

am well pleased."' His work was that of preaching, teach- 
ing and working miracles. 

Then he made the the application to his hearers. 
He said that every man, woman and child has a work to 
do, and it is our business, to the best of our ability, to find out 
what that work is, and getatit; for the night cometh when no 
man can work. He said further, that there is one work that 
all alike must do, whether rich or poor, high or low, black or 
white, if we want to be saved; and that is, that we must hear 
the word of God — the gospel, and believe on His son Jesus 
Christ, repent of our sins, confess his name, and be baptized 
in his name and arise to walk in the newness of life. He said 
from that time on the work that the Lord required of us 
differs according to circumstances; that it was not required 
of the poor man that chops wood all day to support his 
family and then does his chores after night, to read his 
Bible as much as that old brother who is surrounded with 
wealth and affluence and can lean back in his easy chair and 
lay up his feet higher than his head. Neither is it required 
of the man that has been ditching — shoveling mud until 
every muscle in his body is tired and sore, to go to the 
week day evening prayer meeting as often as the man who 
is at leisure and has a horse and carriage to take him where 
he wants to go. Nor is it required of the poor widow who 
comes to church in her faded calico dress, to pay as much 
as the woman in her velvet and silk, and glittering with 
jewelry; but let every one do the very best he can in his 
circumstances. That is all that God requires of any one. 

At the conclusion of the services the elder made his 
way down the aisle to those who had come in late, and he 
had not spoken to before preaching. He asked the man 
he had met in the afternoon of the condition of his 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 45 

sick wife. "O !" he said, "she is feeling much better. I 
went home a trifle earlier this evening, and sat down by the 
bed and talked to her awhile. I told her of our chat in the 
woods and about the meeting, and that you were coming 
to visit us to-morrow afternoon and it cheered her up so 
much that she seemed to forget she was sick. She told 
me to hurry and do my chores and eat my supper and go 
to church, that she was feeling so much better that she 
could stay with the children to-night." Elder Howenstine 
had shortly before told the man that he did not claim to 
heal the infirmities of the body, but what a soothing and 
healing influence those words of love and sympathy had on 
this afflicted woman. 

On Lord's day he preached on "The Foundation of the 
Church," and gave a short talk to the Sunday school from 
notes that he put on the blackboard in the morning, went 
home with a brother with whom he had promised to take 
dinner, and then made his visit to the home of the sick 
lady according to promise. He talked to her of the trials 
and sufferings of this life, and of the love of Jesus, and the 
sacrifice he made to complete the plan of salvation, so that 
we might all be heirs to the inheritance that he has gone 
to prepare for us. And, after he had read an appropriate 
selection of scripture he bowed and offered a prayer that 
was full of sympathetic feeling and tender emotion in 
behalf of this afflicted family. He then took leave of 
them, kindly inviting them to come to church when they 
got able. 

I give these instances or examples that I have gath- 
ered from conversation and from his diaries merely to exem- 
plify his manner of pastoral work. His visits and pastoral 
work was on the same line at all his preaching places. In 



46 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

looking over his diary for this year (1892) we see that when 
he went to North Union to preach he visited and had 
prayer with Sister Ellen Mering and her aged mother-in- 
law, and Sister Bechtel, who were unable to come to church. 
He told me that at the beginning of this year he made out 
a list of the names of all the members of the several con- 
gregations where he preached and carried them in his day 
book and if anyone was missing from church he made 
inquiry about it; and if they were sick he made it his busi- 
ness to go. and visit them. If they had trouble or difficulty 
with a brother or neighbor and was absent on that account 
he would go and talk to them, laying before them the sin- 
fulness of holding spite and brooding over wrongs that can 
be made right in a few minutes if the persons will have the 
Christ-like humility to go and ask forgiveness of those 
whom they have wronged; or kindly talk the matter over 
with those who may have insulted or injured you. It only 
makes matters worse, to stay away from church and neg- 
lect your christian duties because you have trouble. It is 
also recorded in his diary that every time he went to Beach 
Grove to preach for four successive months he called at 
Sister Wilson's in Roanoke, who was going down with 
consumption and ministered to her spiritual wants, break- 
ing bread, reading God's word, exortation, and prayer, He 
visited and ministered in like manner in the same congre- 
gation, to Sister Jobs who was laying sick at the same time 
and died a few days prior to the death of Sister Wilson. 
In the Christ-like ministration to the sick, Elder Howen- 
stine's wife was quite often by his side, to smooth down 
the rough places in the pathway of the weary pilgrim to 

"That undiscovered country from whose bourne 
No traveler returns." 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 4/ 

Sister Wilson requested Elder Howenstine to preach 
her funeral sermon, but when the "Messenger on the pale 
horse" came to her, the elder was attending the meeting 
at Bethany Park, and Elder Gillespie officiated in his place. 
In conversation with him after he returned, he remarked 
that all the exercises at the Bethany Assembly were so 
interesting, so strengthening, and soul cheering, and the 
christian society so elevating that he desired to go there 
every year as long as he lived. But most unexpectedly to 
us all, this proved to be his last visit to Bethany. When 
the assembly met the next year he was somewhat indis- 
posed, the bacterial and malarial poison that terminated his 
existence was already in his system, stealthily bringing 
about conditions that baffled the skill of able physicians. 
There was an instance that he related of solemn and majes- 
tic entertainment during this, his last visit to Bethany Park 
that sank deeply into his heart. It was Old Father Jame- 
son, of Indianapolis, with his long gray hair flowing down 
upon his shoulders and leaning upon his staff as an old 
patriarch blessing his children, and singing with angelic 
sweetness, some of the songs of his own composition. He 
said, "I never expect to see him again till I meet him 
in that 'Sweet bye and bye, ' for he is getting so old and 
frail." But little did we think that they would meet so 
soon; this earth holds them no more. 

During the following winter there was much sickness 
among the old people. An old lady by the name of Kemp 
who was eighty-three years of age, took very sick — not 
expected to live, and she had never obeyed the gospel, but 
one day she expressed a desire to be baptized by immer- 
sion if it could be conveniently done. Elder Howenstine 
was absent, but word was sent to Elder Gillespie who re- 



48 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

sided not far distant. He came with his wife and a few of 
the members of the Saturn congregation, and made prep- 
aration — taking the chill off the water by putting in hot 
rock, and using the wind pump tank for a baptistry. It 
was indeed a beautiful sight, to see such an aged lady buried 
with Christ in baptism and come out of the water rejoicing 
as she did. 

The next Lord's day was Elder Howenstine's time to 
preach at Saturn, and in the afternoon, he, with a few of 
the members, took the emblems and went to Sister Kemp's 
home and had communion service; and it was a time of 
much rejoicing in the Lord. 

In the latter part of January, Jane Henry, another 
aged sister, was lying at the point of death, and Elder 
Howenstine got word that it was her request that some of 
the church members should come and hold communion 
service with her. But she resided ten miles away and it 
was very cold and several members of the home church 
were dangerously ill; but difficulties seldom prevented 
Elder Howenstine from doing what he considered his duty. 
So he procured a double seated sleigh and took his mother 
and youngest sister and her lady friend, Sister Loucetta 
Chamberlin, and went notwithstanding the many hindrances. 
We found the sister very sick indeed, but she was much 
rejoiced because of our coming. Elder Howenstine talked 
to her as much as was proper in her weak condition. He 
read the 14th chapter of St. John's gospel, then he called 
on his mother to offer prayer, the girls lead the singing; 
then the communion was attended to in a manner that was 
impressive, solemn and beautiful. After all had partici- 
pated Sister Henry said, "now I am ready to die, or live 
just as the Lord wills. " After partaking of a warm refresh- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 49 

ing supper served by Mrs. Stahl, their daughter, and refill- 
ing our hot water jugs, we took our leave, and after pass- 
ing over sheets of screaking snow for many a mile, we 
arrived at home by I o'clock in the morning, feeling that we 
had done our duty as best we could. But strange to tell: 
both these old sisters are alive and well at this writing, while 
the dear brother, who so lovingly ministered to their spir- 
itual wants, has crossed the Jordan, and methinks is beck- 
oning for them to come. 

A few days after this occurred the death of Sister 
Alice White, a very intimate friend of Elder Howenstine 
and his wife. The elder assisted Elder Taylor in conduct- 
ing the funeral services at the Church of Christ in Laud. 
A short poem written in memory of her sweet life will be 
found on a subsequent page. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

A MEETING UNEXPECTEDLY PROTRACTED AN INVITATION TO 

THE PENITENT HOME STUDY AND MAP-DRAWING 

CHANGES IN CONTEMPLATION POSSIBLE TO CONTROL 

TEMPER. 

jTfTfOUR WEEKS had passed away, and the time had 
H come for Elder Howenstine to p-o to his Salem 
=p appointment. Never for a wakeful hour was this 
little congregation and its surroundings out of his mind 
since his last visit. Day by day their wants were car- 
ried up to the throne of the Most High; he felt that there 
was a great work to do in that place and he relied on 
God alone for wisdom and strength to accomplish it. 
He went to Sidney on the train and walked to Brother 
Idels, took supper, and went to the church and preached 
on Saturday night with much zeal and enthusiasm. 
Lord's day was missionary day, and he preached a mis- 
sionary sermon; showing that when our hearts are full 
and overflowing with the love of God, that we are anxious 
to give this glorious gospel to others, for "he who loves 
God the most, loves not man the less." After preaching, a 
collection was taken up for missions, amounting to $5.50; 
the fifty cents vas Elder Howenstine's part of the contri- 
bution, and was one-tenth of his monthly salary at that 
place. I heard him say at one time that he always pros- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 5 1 

pered better when he gave one-tenth of his income, as 
they did in olden times, than when he gave less. That 
day after dining with Brother Cresser, he made several calls 
entreating and persuading the people to come and hear the 
gospel. He told the sisters that if he found out that any- 
one staid at home from church to cook a good dinner for 
him, he would not go there; he said he would rather just 
sit down to bread and butter and have them all at church. 

That night he went to the church with his heart over- 
flowing with the love of God and sympathy and pity for 
poor fallen man, and preached from the subject: "What 
must I do to inherit eternal life ?" and expected to return 
home the next day. At the close of the sermon he gave 
the invitation to any who had gone back to the world, or 
grown cold in the service of the Lord, or become discour- 
aged by the way. and to any that were burdened with sin, 
and were serving the devil, being led captive by his will, 
and told them that as their service continued they would 
find him a harder master than Legree. And with much 
earnestness did he exhort them to put off the old body of 
sin, and be "renewed in the spirit of their mind," and put 
on the new man which, after God is created in righteous- 
ness and true holiness; and obey the commandments of the 
Lord Jesus Christ that they may have a right to the tree of 
life and enter through the gates into the city. And to his 
surprise and great joy, seven, who had been pierced to their 
heart by the sword of the spirit, came forward and made 
confession of that worthy Name. 

This was a call for the meeting to continue, and it did 
continue from day to day, till the seating capacity of the 
house was entirely inadequate to the number that came; 
though it was in the month of March and the roads were 



52 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

in a terrible condition for traveling. He wrote home almost 
every day to his wife, of his success in the gospel through 
the Lord Jesus Christ; till her heart got so full, that she 
put her little ones in the care of his sister, Ella, and went 
to share his labor and joy. 

On the ist day of April, Elder Howenstine closed the 
meeting with forty-seven additions, the time it continued 
was but ten days. The week-day meetings were mostly 
occupied by speaking, prayer, song and praise service. 
Elder Howenstine had a peculiar way of drawing a speech 
or testimony from nearly every person in the congregation. 
When the person speaking would sit down, he would say, 
"Now, another. Who'll be the next to speak a word for 
Jesus? He that confesseth me before men, him will I con- 
fess before my Father in Heaven. Rise right up, if it is 
but a word. We are not heard for our much speaking; 
God looks at the heart, to see whether we are willing to 
try to work in his vineyard," &c. 

Almost every month when the elder returned to fill his 
appointments, there were some who came forward and con- 
fessed the Saviour, and the older members began to feel as 
did the deacons at the Water Beach church in England, 
when young Spurgeon was their pastor; that he was becom- 
ing too great a preacher, they could not expect to keep 
him. On the 18th of April, when he returned home from 
his Salem oppointment, he met Elder Hummel, the pastor 
of the home church, at the station, who informed him that 
he had baptized his oldest daughter, Carrie, that morning, 
who was then in her tenth year. 

"Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth." — Prov. 

During this summer Elder Howenstine had three 
preaching places, viz.: Salem, Saturn and North Union. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 53 

This left him with one Lord's day unoccupied, which he 
mostly spent at the home church, often filling the pulpit 
in the absence of the regular preacher. He still lived on 
the farm, but he kept a hired man and spent most of his 
time in study and drawing maps and charts, which he 
painted up in colors beautifully. These maps and charts 
he used in his lectures and Sunday school work. The map 
of Paul's missionary travels, the tabernacle and the lectures 
that accompanied them were very interesting. Then he 
had another chart of his own make, illustrating how to 
read the Bible. And he had calls in many places by dif- 
ferent denominations to lecture from these maps and charts. 
One evening after his lecture, on "How to read the Bible,'"' 
a lady came to him and said, ' 'I always thought I was a 
great Bible reader, but I have learned more about the Bible 
to-night than I ever knew. I know how to read the Bible 
now, and I am going to go home and read it," 

This was the summer of 1892 and there was some 
excitement over the Harrison and Cleveland campaign, but 
it was not materially disturbing church work. By this time 
the Prohibition movement was pretty well defined in all 
the churches, and it was known by the people of the 
county that Elder Howenstine did not vote or work with 
either of the old parties any more, and when the Prohibi- 
tion convention met in Columbia City they gave him the 
nomination for representative, and Harris Kaufman, a 
young teacher who was boarding with Elder Howenstine, 
was nominated for surveyor. Thus, we see that the little 
farm house at the corners was the home of two aspiring 
candidates. It was expected that the elder would go out 
and make some political speeches and help to bear the cam- 
paign expenses, but he did neither one, and yet he ran far 



54 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

ahead of his ticket. During the summer Elder Howenstine 
made several visits to J. V. Updike, the great evangelist, 
who then resided in Fort Wayne and took instructions in 
evangelistic work, and succeeded in getting him to come to 
the home church at Forest and deliver some of his popular 
lectures. He also was intimate and had frequent corres- 
pondence with Rev. B. C. Black, formerly of Victoria, Aus- 
tralia, and at present state evangelist of Ohio. 

Elder Howenstine was now contemplating the pro- 
priety of making a public sale, and moving to town and 
settling down to the ministry for life; for his theory was 
this, "never undertake more work than you can do prop- 
erly." And while he was trying with all his might and 
power to make a grand success of his ministerial work, he 
was continually mortified on account of the way things 
were going on the farm. He always aimed to raise the 
best crops that could be produced from the kind of soil he 
was tilling; and he actually raised as much wheat from ten 
acres as some of his neighbors did from twenty; and so he 
aimed to do, in everything he undertook. He bred the 
best sheep, pigs and cattle, and kept no more than he could 
keep in good salable condition. His motto was "quick 
sales and as much profit as you can get." He would have 
his pigs as large at six or eight months old as most people 
do at a year old. And with all this work and business he 
always seemed to have time to go to the Wednesday even- 
ing prayer meeting; and his work there was characterized 
with the same zeal and energy that pervaded all 
his transactions in life. He had many trials and vexatious 
circumstances to contend with but he was not a pessimist; 
he looked upon all these little grievances as tests of ones 
faith and patience, and believed that our gold shines all the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. $5 

brighter for being tried in fire He was not always on the 
top of the Delectable mountains, yet I never knew him to 
be in the slough of despond. 

I cannot forbear giving here a little instance of a very 
trying, yet ludicrous nature. He had a very fine Durham 
cow that was quite gentle to milk, but once in a great while 
she would kick as quick as lightning, and as wicked as 
satan. As he had only three monthly appointments this 
year, he was frequently at home on the fourth Sunday of 
the month. At this time the hired man would go to spend 
Sunday at home and would seldom return till Monday morn- 
ing. On one of those occasions the elder prepared to do 
the milking. As he was going away to lecture that even- 
ing he thought he would not take the trouble to change 
clothes; so he tied on one of his wife's kitchen aprons and, 
pail in hand, started to the barn lot; and when sitting on 
his stool and milking with his ordinary dispatch, the slick- 
skinned ' 'bovine" gave, what we may call her "occasional 
kick," sending the elder backward sprawling on the ground, 
stool, pail and all, with the rich foaming fluid all bespattered 
over his best Sunday suit. He soon recovered from the 
horizontal and assumed the erect position, picked up his 
pail, and started toward the house saying, "why Boss you 
ought to be ashamed to treat a preacher in that kind of 
style." When he reached the yard gate, he met his hired 
man who had unexpectedly returned, when he laughingly 
remarked, after relating what had happened, "if I was just 
a 'winter christian' I would have lost my religion." 

A young man who helped him shear his sheep, 
remarked to me, that when the sheep would kick and strug- 
gle and throw the wool into the dirt, he thought no one 
could help but swear or scold, but Elder Howenstine would 



) FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

st laugh. So we see that it is possible for a person even 

with a quick nervous temperament, to acquire complete 

control over his temper, and go through life as though 

there were no dark storm clouds that pass between us and 

eternal sunshine. But these worrying circumstances made 

him yearn to throw off the yoke of farm labor and farm 

management, and wear only the "yoke of preaching the 

gospel," and no other armour but the "armour of faith.'" 

He felt that, he that has enlisted as a soldier, under the 

blood stained banner of Jesus Christ must not entangle 

himself with the things of this world; and "he that putteth 

his hand to the plow must not look back." 

"Unto the time that is no more, 

For those who stand on heaven's floor 

Peace ! Look not back but straight before." 





CHAPTER IX. 

LEAVING THE FARM — PARTING WITH WHAT IS DEAR TO US — 
MOVING TO THE CITY — A GOOD SERMON APPRECIATED. 

>HE SUN was sinking in the western horizon, shed- 
ding its soft rays of azure light upon the little farm 
house at the Mering Corners, this chilly November 
evening; and many feet had trodden the grounds of the 
surrounding lawn and barn lot, for, the sale was over, 
and men that had come from far and near were crowding 
around the eastern porch signing- notes and changing 
money, and preparing to take away the property they had 
purchased. They all seemed happy and good natured 
because their stomachs were not gnawed by the pangs of 
hunger, for a plentiful dinner had been served in the house 
and a lunch, consisting of nine dozen rusks and three 
bushel baskets full of spread bread and slices of meat and 
plenty of hot coffee was served out of doors. As the 
women of the neighborhood all wanted to come to the sale 
Mrs, Howenstine invited the Aid Society to come and sew 
her carpet rags and tack some comforters, and several ladies 
from other localities helped to make up the merry group, 
among whom were Mrs. Dr. Ferguson, of Fort Wayne; 
Mrs. Wm. Kelsey, Mrs. Hatfield, and others. 

Before making the sale Elder Howenstine thought his 
property so small that it would not be worth while to make 
a public sale, and had already disposed of some articles, 



58 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

when Rev. J. V. Updike and others advised him to buy 
property in Fort Wayne and move there. This put him 
under the necessity of selling off everything but his house- 
hold goods and library; and accordingly the sale was adver- 
tised and his brother-in-law, J. W. Kaufman, engaged as 
auctioneer and E. Swan as clerk. When the sale was over 
and the list counted up, to the elder's surprise it amounted 
to nearly one thousand dollars. Several of his best sheep 
brought twenty-five dollars a head; the short horned Dur- 
ham, that cared nothing for the preacher's "best suit," 
brought forty-five dollars; the common cows brought from 
twenty-five to thirty dollars. His farm implements which 
he had used nine or ten years had been so well cared for 
and repainted that they sold almost like new ones. "To 
him that hath, it shall be given, and to him that hath not, 
it shall be taken away, even that he hath." I think this 
scripture relates to the care we give to what is committed 
to us, whether in temporal, mental or spiritual things. But 
soon came the sad time of parting with the domestic ani- 
mals, to which the family were so much attached. There 
was more sorrow and sighing in the little farm house at the 
corners, than there was in the St. Clair mansion, when 
Uncle Tom and the other servants were marched away in 
care of the slave driver. 

The first few days after the sale were busy ones, occu- 
pied in packing up and preparing to move, and settling up 
things in general. Then a few days more were spent in 
visiting some friends and neighbors; and on the 4th of No- 
vember Elder Howenstine and family, with his brother and 
sisters and their families, all met at the home of their 
parents and had a most enjoyable gathering. The men 
cut and hauled winter wood for their father, the women 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 59 

1 

cooked and visited, and their children romped and played 
about the house and yard till every thing resounded with 
joy. At three o'clock Father Howenstine went to the 
station and brought Rev. Updike, who had an appointment 
to lecture at the Christian church that night. At 4 o'clock 
work was abandoned and a merry conversation and an 
enjoyable supper was the order of the evening until the 
time arrived, to go the lecture, which was a most interest- 
ing and entertaining feast for the mind. But who of all this 
happy group of brothers and sisters, parents, children and 
grand-children, ever once thought that this was the last 
time, in this earth life, that this happy and loving family 
would ever all meet together in the capacity of a family 
reunion? Who thought that the ' 'keystone of the arch, ** 
the elder brother, the oldest son, the first born, the first 
grown to manhood, the first in the ministry, the husband 
of a devoted wife, the father of three precious little girls, 
and the advisor and counsellor, even of his parents, the 
pride and joy of all, was never to be at one of these family 
gatherings again ? 

On the day following this friendly meeting, and pleas- 
ant and profitably spent evening, Elder Howenstine got his 
father's horse and buggy and took Rev, Updike to Colum- 
bia City to hear John Wannamaker speak. This was one 
of the pleasant days that he spent in company with this 
able evangelist; whom he always esteemed as a father in 
the ministry and a counsellor in things of minor importance. 
On Thursday, November 10th, Elder Howenstine removed 
to Fort Wayne, No. 1, corner Lincoln street and Indiana 
avenue. The night previous he preached in Forest at the 
home church, then came home and worked till 1 1 o'clock 
at night, and then got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and 



60 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

began to help load the goods. They got started at 6 o'clock 
that morning and arrived at their new home at I o'clock 
in the afternoon. They unloaded the wagons, put up a 
stove, had a warm dinner, set up the bed steads and 
unpacked and arranged the bedding, and then all went 
down to the Christian church to hear Rev. Updike preach- 
The next day was spent in fixing up things to live, and be 
happy. On Saturday morning before going to his appoint- 
ment Elder Howenstine made a call to Rev. Updike's 
home. He took him to the depot and remained till the 
train started. 

While at his Saturn appointment he received a letter 
from Elder Edmund Miller, his old schoolmate who had 
been a preacher in the "Church of God" for twelve or fif- 
teen years, stating that he desired to join the Christian 
church as an active minister, and wished to be received 
into fellowship at the church in Forest. When Elder 
Howenstine returned to Fort Wayne he laid the matter 
before Brother Updike, who answered, "God bless him> 
if he can preach the doctrine taught by Christ and his 
apostles, take him in." Accordingly he wrote to Elder 
Miller to set a time and he would meet him at the dear old 
home church at Forest. In this week he helped Brother 
Updike to revise the church book, and the board appointed 
him collector. 

After filling his Salem appointment he commenced a 
protracted meeting at Saturn. Around this church and 
congregation, there clustered almost as many endearments 
as at the old home church. Here lived his oldest sister 
and her husband, his yoke fellow in the ministry. At their 
cozy home he felt as free and easy as he did at his own, 
and could sit down and tell his joys and sorrows and hopes 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 6l 

and fears. They could talk over their trials and labors, 
and lay their plans for church work, in order to accom- 
plish the best possible results in the work of the Mas- 
ter. He held the meeting ten or twelve days and had 
five additions, and it was said by the members that it was 
the best meeting they ever had. The day-meetings were 
unexceptionally good. Members that had never been 
known to speak in church, would rise up and speak as 
though their tongues were loosed. He would as a rule 
have social exercises for half an hour before preaching and 
perhaps two or three prayers after preaching. During these 
meetings on Wednesday evening, December 7th, by pre- 
vious arrangements he met Elder Miller at the Christian 
Church at Forest, and preached a powerful sermon on 
"Loyalty to Christ," showing that we must speak as the 
oracles of God speak, or forever be silent; afterward call- 
ing on Bro. Miller to speak. 

Bro. Miller spoke at some length, stating his reasons 
for leaving the "Church of God," after which he was given 
the hand of fellowship as a minister in the Church of Christ. 
In a short time afterward the church hired him as their 
pastor, for half his time. The next morning Brother Jacob 
Raber, the Sunday school superintendent, met Elder How- 
enstine and said : ''Brother Howenstine that sermon last 
night just suited me; it was worth a dollar to me," and he 
reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar and gave it to 
him. Elder Miller went with him to Saturn and remained 
a few days assisting in the meeting, and before its close 
Elder Howenstine had a call to preach the funeral discourse 
of Sister Sarah Chamberlain, widow of the late Joshua 
Chamberlain, treasurer of Whitley county. The subject of 
the discourse was, "She hath done what she could." He 



62 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

spoke briefly of her sweet and beautiful life as a wife, 
mother, neighbor, church member, and Sunday school 
worker. He exhorted her children to follow her pious and 

loving example, and not to think of her only as sleeping 

» 

in the grave but as watching over her loved ones from the 
paradise of God. He also spoke of the sweet council and 
good advice she had given him in his youthful days, and 
said she had gone beyond the portals of time to a blissful 
eternity, We can not, we would not call her back, but if 
we liye faithful and loyal to God we can go to her, and enjoy 
her society in the land of redeemed spirits. 

"Alas ! her form is laid away 

In chilling darkness of the grave. 
Her spirit guides my wandering feet ; 

Its presence seems to touch my heart. 
And whisper that we soon shall meet." 

And how soon he did follow this beloved sister to that 

sweet land of rest, that blessed Eden shore, 

"Where the wicked cease from troubling 
And the weary are at rest." 




CHAPTER X. 

A WONDERFUL MEETING— REINFORCEMENTS— LAST VISIT TO THE 
OLD HOME CHURCH — LETTER FROM THE ELDER TO HIS 
PARENTS. 

,^p(LDER HO WENSTINE had finished his second year a t 
Injjl Saturn and hired for one half of his time at Little River 
^pl and the other half at Salem. This was the begin- 
ning of his third year at Salem and the church had grown 
in strength and numbers and was very near and dear to his 
heart. He felt that he was a father in the gospel to many 
of them, and they had grown under his pastoral care to be 
strong men and women in Christ; and had entwined them- 
selves into his affections more than he was aware of till the 
time for separation came. He and his wife and children 
were invited to come to Salem on the 24th of December to 
attend a Christmas entertainment and preach over Lord's 
day. At the close of the exercise the pastor and his wife 
were made the recipients of a beautiful hand made bed 
quilt, and the little ones were remembered in smaller gifts. 
At this time Elder Gillespie was finishing up his year's 
work at Little River with a protracted meeting, and Elder 
Howenstine went from Salem to help him. While 
engaged in this work he received an invitation to bring his 
family and come to Saturn. When this order was obeyed 
the Aid Society presented to them a most lovely patch- 
work quilt, of artistic design. Tnese gifts from the two 



64 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

congregations were tokens of the high esteem in which 
their beloved pastor was held, and they were most grate- 
fully received and acknowledged, and will be long looked 
upon as the tokens of love and affection. 

In the latter part of January, 1893, Elder Howenstine 
started to his Salem appointment and stopped off a few 
days at the home church and assisted Elder Miller in a 
very successful meeting he was holding at that place. He 
continued his meeting at Salam till the 6th of February 
with good results. The remaining part of the month, he 
was at home during the week, attending Rev. Updike's 
meetings in Fort Wayne, and during the rough March 
weather he was at home studying and fixing up his lots and 
property, till on the 29th Rev. Updike and a Brother Col- 
lin from Payne, O., came over to see him about holding a 
meeting in Payne, to which he gave his consent and went 
the following day, March 30th. On arriving he visited 
the members, as was his custom in going into a new place, 
in order to ascertain the condition of the church and take 
the diagnosis of its ailments. He found the church in a 
dissected and scattered condition but with a warm-hearted, 
intelligent membership. As was his plan of work in cases 
of this kind, he commenced building and constructing, 
until he had all the material and various parts in their 
proper places, and peace and harmony prevailed througout 
the congregation. Then he would set his batteries in 
range for the world, for sin and its father, the devil, and 
pour in a flood of gospel fire that would make the Felixes 
tremble and say " Almost thou persuadest me to be a 
christian;" or cry out, as the guilty Jews did under the fire 
of Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost, "Men and 
brethren what must we do?" Then would come thunder- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 65 

ing back the answer, ' 'repent, turn away from your sins, 
from the evil of your way, confess his name and be bap- 
tized for the remission of sins — that your sins and trans- 
gressions may be blotted out, or canceled, when the time 
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord," 
In examining his diary we see that the meeting continued 
on this line from day to day, and at almost every service 
there were some reclaimed and others confessed Christ. 
And after the meeting had continued ten or twelve days, 
and some thirty or forty had come into the church, Rev. 
Updike and Hackelman, the singing evangelist, came to 
assist. The interest of the meeting was raised to such a 
pitch that the seating capacity of the house was inadequate 
to the crowds that came together. They remained five 
days, during which time there still continued to be a great 
ingathering, not only from the world, but from other 
churches represented in the town, the Catholics not excepted. 
There was not a day from the time the meeting fairly started 
that there was not baptizing done, ranging from two to fif- 
teen each day. The superintendent of the public schools 
and a class leader in the U. B. church were among the 
number of the baptized. After Rev. Updike and Hackel- 
man left, the meeting continued with unabated success and 
interest. 

The penitent still kept coming into the ark of safety 
— the old ship of Zion, not only by twos and sevens 
but as many as eight made the good confession at one time; 
and so the good work went on, until there were one hundred 
and twelve souls brought into the communion and fellow- 
ship of the church. The meeting continued until the 20th 
of April and the last night a lady confessed Christ and 
another joined the church. 



66 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

The officers of the church were trying to persuade 
Elder Howenstine to abandon his other congregations and 
move to Payne and give them all of his time; which seemed 
a hard thing to ask; but they were quite a distance from his 
home and called him to be away from his family every 
Lord^s day, and his wife and little ones had nearly two 
miles to walk to church. Considering these circumstances 
he thought it would be better to accept the charge at Payne, 
and move there and be with his family, and the church he 
was laboring with, every Lord's day. Accordingly \v r hen 
he went to his regular appointment he laid the matter before 
these congregations; but it was a sore trial to give up the 
minister they loved so well, the one who had built up their 
church and Sunday schools and their Y. P. S. C. E. and 
kept them in such a prosperous condition. But they 
seemed to think it was the Lord's will that things were to 
take such a turn, and gave their consent. 

This released Elder Howenstine from his obligations 
at Salem and Little River, and when he again returned to 
Payne he accepted the pastorate and rented a commodious 
dwelling house, but unfortunately it was in that part of the 
town where the wells are shallow and the water not of the 
best quality. On the following Friday he returned to his 
new field of labor, in order to do some visiting and pastoral 
work before the Lord's day service. But the diphtheria 
had broken out in a malignant form and some parts of the 
town were quarantined, and the board of health had issued 
an order to have the schools stopped and no services allowed 
in any of the churches. Accordingly Elder Howenstine 
remained among his flock till Saturday afternoon when he 
took the 2 o'clock train, of the Nickel Plate railroad, and 
came to Raber Station and walked over to Forest to preach 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 67 

at the old home church, and made four visits or calls before 
church time on Saturday evening. 

This was his last visit to the home of his parents and 
the home church. He spoke expressly on Lord's day of 
how much he prized the privilege of coming home and to 
the home church — to the place where he first gave his 
heart to God, and where he had labored so long as an 
elder of the church and as Sunday school superintendent. 
Before he left on Monday morning he spoke of his inten- 
tion of going to the World's Fair, and said: "Mother, I 
am not going to satisfy an idle curiosity, but I intend to see 
all that can be seen in the time I have to spend there; and 
I want to lay in a store of information to draw from in after 
years." 

It was raining when he started, with his umbrella 
raised and his grip-sack in his hand; he gave us all an 
affectionate farewell, and we stood at the north door 
and looked after him as he walked down the well-beaten 
path, across the pasture lot to the public road. But, little 
did we think or dream, that this was his last walk across 
the lawn and his last visit to the dear old home. Alas ! 
how uncertain is life. Everything we look upon is passing 
away; but "the word of the Lord is perfect, converting the 
soul." "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but My word 
shall not pass away." 

"O let the soul her slumbers break, 

Let thought be quickened, and awake 
Awake to see 

How soon this life is past and gone 

And death comes stealing softly on, 

How silently !" — Don JRodridgo. 

The following is a letter from Elder Howenstine to his 
parents while holding his meeting in Payne : 



68 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Payne, Ohio, April 13, 1893. 
Dear Father and Mother : 

I am still in Payne carrying on our meeting in the 
name of the Great Master, and our labors have been won- 
derfully blest. I wish you could be here and participate in 
these great feasts of God's love and comforting grace 
enjoyed by his dear people. It is truly a time of refresh- 
ing from the presence of the Lord. When we meet 
together for worship we realize that we have the fulfillment 
of his promise, that "where, if but two or three are met 
together in my name I will be in their midst." And, when 
I stand up in His name and in my weak way preach the 
glorious gospel to these people, I realize that the Holy 
Spirit is applying it to the hearts of such as are willing to 
be saved. 

The town is pretty well stirred up — people are taking 
a retrospect of their lives to see if they have obeyed the 
commands of the Savior and set an example of this 
obedience before the world. Some have been church- 
members and even leaders and teachers in the church for 
years and have not obeyed the Savior in baptism. Last 
week, one evening after church, a man remained to talk 
with me about his soul's salvation. We talked until every- 
body had left except the janitor and one other brother, and 
when all doubts were removed I took his confession away 
back at the door; he did not want to wait till the rising of 
another sun to confess his Savior. It reminded me of 
Philip and the Ethiopian. 

Brother Updike and his singer, Brother Hackelman, 
assisted in this meeting for several days. The house was 
filled to its utmost capacity every night and our day meet- 
ings have been very interesting. There has not been a day 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 69 

gone by since our meeting fairly commenced but that I had 
baptizing to do. There has been near a hundred additions 
and a great deal of good substantial church work done 
beside. I do notknow, yet, when the meeting will close. 
The brethren here want me to abandon my other preaching 
places and move to this place and give them all my time. 
This would be a great trial, for I love my work and the 
brethren at these other places so dearly, but if I can accom- 
plish more good by taking this charge I reckon I shall 
accept it. Jennie and Nellie came to stay a few days with 
us and enjoy this good meeting. Nellie was so glad to see 
me that she had to give vent to her feelings through a great 
flood of tears. Well, it is almost time for church and I 
must close. I hope this little message will find you all well 
and rejoicing in hope. How is the work prospering in the 
home church ? Give my love to all. Remember me, and 
my work in your prayers. 

From your affectionate son, 

Solon A. Howenstine. 





CHAPTER XI. 

BEHOVING TO A NEW FIELD OF LABOR — TOO BUSY TO VISIT — 
PBEACHED HIS LAST SEBMON — A TEEASUBE IN HEAVEN— HEB 
SPIBIT WE WOULD NOT BECALL. 

■fcRS. S. A. HOWENSTINE and her children took 
the street car and went over to the Nickel Plate 

^ railroad depot on Monday afternoon to meet a 
friend that was coming from the west, and were intending 
to stay there till the train came in from the east, and meet 
"papa" as he came in from Payne; but to their surprise he 
came in from the west and they did not need to wait. 
They had not heard of the sanitary regulations at Payne, 
but were glad to see papa fresh from their old country home. 
A few weeks following was spent in settling up business, 
renting the Fort Wayne property and preparing to move 
to Payne. 

The writer went to Fort Wayne and made them a visit 
in the week previous to their departure, which was a season 
of rare enjoyment. Elder Howenstine had added several 
new volumes to his library and had purchased a new and 
commodious book case to hold his well selected supply of 
books, and had subscribed for the Review of Reviews and 
several other interesting periodicals. Examining and dis- 
coursing on the various topics treated of in these works, 
and, what would be the better plans of church work in his 
new field of labor, were the principle topics of conversa- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 7 1 

tion during the days of this pleasant visit; and all that 
seemed to worry the elder, was, that he had not time 
enough to do all the pastoral work that ought to be done 
and to do the reading, that he wished to do beside. On 
Saturday, after early dinner he got ready too go to his 
appointment at Payne, packing his valise with such books 
and papers as he expected to need, and rolling up one of 
his charts, he said : "Next Saturday I shall not be obliged 
to go away and leave my home and family, and on Lord's 
day we can all go to Sunday school and church together. " 
Then he kissed the children and told them to be good, and 
bid us an affectionate good-bye and started for the street 
car line. 

This was our last sight of his stately form till we saw 
him on his sick bed. We returned to our home that after- 
noon, and in the week following Elder Howenstine and 
family removed to Payne, and by the generous assistance 
rendered by the brethren and sisters of the church, they 
got settled down, and ready for church work, by Saturday. 
It took several weeks of busy work and study to get things 
in shape that he could leave for a week to go to the Colum- 
bian Exposition about the middle of June. At 3 o'clock 
on Monday morning he started on the Nickle Plate railroad 
to Valparaiso, where he intended to stop a few hours to 
visit his Almamater — his old school home, and his friend, 
Harris Kaufman, who was attending school there at this 
time. He also called on Rev. J. H. O. Smith, pastor of 
the Church of Christ at that place, and president of the Y. 
P. S. C. E. of the state of Indiana. He spoke of this 
pleasant interview as one of the prominent features of his 
week's enjoyment. He had met this interesting christian 
gentleman on two former occasions — at the preacher's meet- 



72 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

ing at Wabash and at the Y. P. S. C. E. convention at 
Fort Wayne. 

Valparaiso is the place of conjuction of the Pittsburg, 
Fort Wayne & Chicago and the Nickle Plate railroad s, and 
a party of young people from the home church at Laud 
were to meet him there, and accompany him to the expo- 
sition. When the young folks returned we asked them 
how they enjoyed the fair? The girls said "we enjoyed it 
splendidly, but it was no use to try to keep up with Solon. 
He got around and saw as much in a day as we could 
in two." We were expecting him to come home on 
a visit for a few days when he returned from Chicago, and 
he sent his wife and children on to her father's the next 
week, but he had a large Bible chart to draw and put up in 
the church, and he took this opportunity while the children 
were absent to do it. His wife and children visited among 
the relatives and neighbors and put up cherries and other 
small fruit, in quantity as she expected to need. 

In this time she was expecting her husband to come 
and visit a few days; but almost every day she would get a 
letter or card from him telling how busy he was. He wrote 
that they were repairing and papering the church and he 
wanted to have his chart finished and ready to hang up as 
soon as the church was completed; and there was so much 
to do in looking after the interests of the church that he 
thought he could not come till October, when the Howen- 
stine annual reunion was to be held in Clear Creek town- 
ship, Huntington county, Ind., and as he was vice president 
of the association, and was on the program for the opening 
speech, he desired to be there without fail; and then he 
would visit his friends and preach again at the old home 
church. But these fond hopes were never realized. When 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 73 

his wife returned home he was not feeling well. He said 
that he had not been right well since he came from Chicago, 
She tried to induce him to take a thorough course of treat- 
ment, but he relied on his strong constitution to throw off 
the disease and only took some cordial to check a dysen- 
tery that was troubling him at the time. Work and busi- 
ness were pressing on every side; the ministers of the 
various churches represented in the town were holding 
weekly meetings in order to prepare themselves to meet 
the demands of the place, for they had the effects of seven 
saloons to contend with, and he was chairman of these 
meetings. He was on the program for a sermon at the 
Sunday school convention at Hicksville, Ohio, and had a 
call to go to Salem, his former preaching place to preach 
at a yearly mneting, and was making preparation to attend 
and officiate at the elegant wedding of Nettie McHenry. 

Besides his church work in Payne, he went to several 
places in the country and preached on Sunday afternoons 
and frequently on week-day evenings. Thus we see that 
Elder Howenstine's mind was so enlisted in the work of 
the Master that the destructive elements of a fatal disease 
were preying upon him unnoticed by himself, but not by 
his wife, for she saw that he was not as strong and robust 
as he used to be and that he was working and studying too 
hard, and would often speak of it to him, and he would 
say that "Brother Updike works harder that I do, and he 
stands it all right." 

On Tuesday evening, August 8th, he had an appoint- 
ment at Baldwin seven miles distant. That day he went 
to Dr. Gorrel for medical advice and treatment. The doctor 
told him that he ought to be in bed instead of going out 
there to preach. He replied: "I unavoidably disappointed 



74 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

them once and if I disappoint them again, they will loose 

all confidence in me. " And, though his temperature was 

one hundred and three, he insisted on going and the doctor 

administered medicine and sent his son to take him to his 

appointment in the carriage; and with much earnestness he 

gave his excellent lecture on Paul's missionary travels. On 

Lord's day evening, previous, he preached his last sermon 

in Payne on the same subject, which we shall endeavor to 

write out in following pages as best we can from the notes 

and references w r hich he left. When he returned from 

Baldwin he took a severe chill and became very sick and 

was under the doctor's care for the remainder of his precious 

life. 

"The wish on earth to linger still 
Were vain, when 'tis God's sovereign will 
That we shall die."' 

The following is a fac-simile of a letter of condolence 
written to John Benton Ihrig and wife, members of the 
home church, shortly after the death of their daughter, 
Eva, who was suddenly crushed to death by a locomotive 
engine while on her way to church in Marion, Ind., July 
3rd, 1893 : 

S. A. HOWENSTINE, V. D. M., 
Pastor. 

Payne, Ohio, July 7th, 1893. 
BrotJier and Sister Ihrig, Laud, Ind. : 

My Dear Brother and Sister : — I just learned last 
evening of the fearful and awful death of your daughter, Eva. 
If any consolation can be afforded under so heavy an affliction 
as you have experienced, it must come from a higher 
power than mine. Your strong faith and hope in God is 
the greatest comfort to you in the hour of trouble. But, 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 7$ 

dear brother, I shed tears with you while writing this, and 
the only thought that clears them away is, that dear Eva 
was prepared to meet her God. She leaves her christian 
life behind her as a greater monument to her memory than 
a marble pyramid that would reach the sky. When I read 
of her sad death, my mind was carried back to the many 
times we met in the prayer-meeting. Sometimes not many 
present, but Sister Eva always had a word of encourage- 
ment, a prayer or a song. 

Oh, I never shall forget her sweet voice as she used to 
sing in our meetings. But that voice is hushed on earth 
now while it is mingled with the angelic voices of heaven. 
My prayer is that we may all so live as to enjoy that sweet 
voice with the angels in the bright home of the soul. My 
brother, this is a sore trial which your family is passing 
through and I ask God that his sustaining grace may be 
able to heal the wounds of your hearts. Dear Eva is now 
a treasure laid up in heaven, and the gate through which 
she passed to glory is left open so that in due time you may 
follow. Let this be your consolation. God comfort you, 
I cannot. From your sorrowing friend, 

Solon A. Howenstine. 



IN MEMORY OF EVA IHRIG, 
Laud, Indiana. 

From' our presence into the haven of rest 
Dear Eva has passed to dwell with the blest. 

She smilingly went from her dear village home 
Not expecting life's end to be merely a moan. 



j6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

She was light-hearted, cheery and gay, 

And hoped ere long to come back to stay; 

But it was there she met that horrible doom, 
And now lies resting in the silent tomb. 



A precious soul has gone to rest — 
A spirit fled to the home of the blest. 

A voice we loved so much is still, 
A place is vacant none else can fill. 

We mourn, as do her many friends, 
When e're we think how sad life ends. 

She's dead ! but lives among us yet; 
Her smiling face we'll ne'er forget. 

She was a light — a city on a hill; 

Her kindly deeds the engine could not kill. 
In Y. P. S. C. E. and church we ne'er shall meet 

That dear loved one we used to greet. 

Arrayed in garments pure and white 

She'll clasp the hand of ^Gilbert in the light 

Of God, where they two, hand in hand, 
Will walk the shores of Beulah land. 



Help us dear Lord, this cross to bear 
That in this sorrow all may share; 

Comfort that father and heart broken mother 
Sorrowing sisters and grief-stricken brother. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 77 

Dear Eva was much loved by us all, 

Yet her sweet spirit we would not recall. 

She's fought the good fight, the prize she has won 
And is now made heir with the glorified Son. 

— Ella Howenstine. 

* Eva's little nephew, Gilbert, son of her twin sister, 
died a few months before. 





t» 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE LAST COMMUNION — THE PASTOR'S REQUEST — A HOPE THAT 
NEVER FALTERS. 

N THE ioth of August, 1893, at 9 o'clock in the 
evening the writer received a letter from Elder How- 
^%> enstine's wife written as follows : 

Payne, Ohio, August 9th, 1893. 
Dear Friends at Home : 

I take this opportunity to address a few lines to you. 
I cannot say we are all well, for Solon is sick with typhoid 
fever. I have been giving him medicine every two hours 
for two days and nights. No one else has administered a 
dose of medicine. I would be glad to have some of you 
come and see us. I would like to have Ella come and 
stay with us, for I am nearly down sick myself. 

Yours affectionately, 

Jennie Howenstine. 

This message was received on Thursday and the Friday 
morning mail carried back the answer: ''Be of good cour- 
age, do the very best you can and we'll be there to-mor- 
row;" and that day, preparations were made for an early 
start on the morrow. At 3 o'clock in the morning Elder 
Howenstine's brother, Scott, and the writer were on the 
road with a good traveling pony and buggy. Sunrise found 
us eighteen miles on our way. We breakfasted at Fort 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 79 

Wayne at S. F. Swayne's where the elder's sister, Ella was 
living at this time; and a few minutes before I o'clock in 
the afternoon we were at the residence of our beloved one. 
We found him very sick, but perfectly rational. s He was 
very glad to see us, and expressed himself as feeling some 
better, but we were very cautious not to talk too much to 
him, as he was quite weak. Dr. Gorrel was yisiting him 
three times a day and using all the skill and knowledge of 
his profession that he could command, for his restoration; 
and everything in the way of nursing and loving attention 
was being done for him. There was not anything that his 
attendants could think of, that might contribute to his com- 
fort or lead to his restoration, that was left undone. That 
afternoon some of the officers of the church and Sunday 
school were in, to visit their-pastor. He told them to be 
in their places on time in the morning; that they should not 
let the interest in the Sunday school and church slacken 
because he vas sick. He also told them that after the ser- 
vice at the church was over, a few of them should come to 
his home and bring the emblems of the Lord's body and 
shed blood with them and have communion service there. 
That night he was under the watchful care of his 
brother and a brother in the church; his wife and mother 
going to rest at midnight. On Lord's day morning he 
seemed better and desired that his brother should go to 
Sunday school and see his congregation and the church that 
was the object, around which his best interests clustered. 
His brother complied with his wishes, and while he was gone 
•he conversed with us about the dear old home and the loved 
ones there, that were anxiously waiting to hear encourag- 
ing news from him, and about the dear old church that he 
expected to visit in October. His brother returned from 



80 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

church much pleased with the appearance of his charge 
and sat down by the bed and conversed with him till after 
dinner, when he took an affectionate leave of him and 
returned home, and we remained to watch over him through 
all the days of his illness. In the afternoon the elders and 
deacons of the church assembled, with a few of the mem- 
bers, at the pastor's home and had communion service. 
There were but four persons in his room besides his own 
family, the others remaining in his study. At the close of 
the services Elder Howenstine offered a short, but impres- 
sive prayer, and then said, "brethren, I want you to come 
here to commemorate the love Jesus every Sunday as long 
as I am sick. 

The Lord's day evening drew on, and the shades of 
night gathered around, but they brought no rest nor sleep 
to the sick preacher, nor his attendants. At midnight he 
was taken with a chill, and neighbor Baughman brought 
the -doctor, who seemed to be very much alarmed at the 
severity of the disease. As soon as the chill was over the 
fever raised to an alarming height and his mind began to 
wander, and by 8 o'clock in the morning it was with dif- 
ficulty that he could be kept in bed. He imagined his 
family and friends had forsaken him, and that some horri- 
ble falsehood had been published concerning him in the 
Chicago Times, and that his friends would not let him see 
it because he was sick. He said he knew it was false, 
because, he had not done anything wrong. 

In all this wild delirium, he steadily clung to Jesus, 
and persisted in affirming that, "Though father and mother, 
wife and children, brethren and sisters forsake me, Jesus 
will never forsake me; for I have always been true and 
faithful to him, and his word is sure and steadfast." O, 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 8 1 

what a grand hope, that will not forsake us even in wild 
delirium; it is certainly sure and steadfast, an anchor to the 
soul. 

Through all this day of anxiety and excitement, the 
dear brethren and sisters of the church, and friends and 
neighbors, were untiring in their efforts to render assis- 
tance and soothe the troubled mind of the suffering patient. 
But, as the shadows began to lengthen and the sun decline 
in the western horizon, the fever began to abate and before 
the setting of the sun his reason returned and he was him- 
self again. 

He seemed to realize that the disease had the mastery 
over him and that his recovery was very doubtful. At a 
glance he seemed to interpret the looks of discouragement 
depicted in the countenance of his physicians. He feared 
that in his delirium he might have said things in a cross 
and petulant manner, that had, perhaps, hurt the feelings 
of some of his attendants, and lovingly asked forgiveness 
if anything of the kind had transpired. All who were 
present assured him that they were not in the least offended 
and were so sorry that his mind had labored under such a 
delusion for so many hours. He then turned to his wife 
and told her that he was going to leave her, and what dis- 
position she should rpake of the property, and that she 
should do the best, she could to raise the children in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord: and he said further 
that he wanted Brother Updike to preach his funeral dis- 
course; "and bury me well, wherever you think 

best, and do not get a costly monument for me, I would 
rather you would take the money to educate the children." 
Then he turned his eyes upon the children, and said, 4 T want 
you to be good and mind your mamma, and go to school, 



82 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

and get a good education, and grow up to be nice Chris- 
tian ladies." Then he addressed his mother and said: 
"Mother, you have always been a good mother to me, 
and given me good advice and helped me in every way you 
could, and I thank you for it in this my dying hour." Then 
he spoke to the church members, saying, "Do not let the 
work of the Lord slacken or go down, but go right on and 
•do the best you can till you can get another pastor to fill 
my place." They answered, tearfully, that that would be 
hard to do, that there were few men that could fill the 
place as he did. He seemed much exhausted from this 
talk, and said, "Now I am ready to go." 




JLJU 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE LAST ENEMY — APPROACHING THE END — THE SPIRIT TOOK 
FLIGHT. 

JPBjlJE WILL here make a digression and answer a ques- 
WffWf t * on ^ at ^ as ^ een as ked by many enquiring friends. 
tr^n When Elder Howenstine spoke to his wife and 
children of the things that we might call his will, "Why 
did you not dispatch immediately for his father, brother 
and sisters ?" 

In the first place, we had written in the morning stat- 
ing his condition during the night and up to 10 o'clock in 
the morning and said that if he did not make a change 
soon he could not survive many days. Second, None of 
his family, who were present, had ever worked with 
patients suffering from typhoid fever, and the brethren at 
Payne said it was no uncommon thing for a person to get 
wild and delirious in this disease. Third, We had never 
known a person to die with this disease sooner than the 
fourteenth day. Fourth, We had often known of persons 
making their will and having it written and attested and 
then recover. And lastly, Mrs. Fred Brock, a very dear 
friend of ours at Forest, told us years ago, that her hus- 
band had typhoid fever and laid in unconcious delirium for 
ten or twelve days, and one of the small children died and 
was taken away and buried and he knew nothing of it, and 
yet recovered. 



84 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

When the fever and delirium returned that night with 
such violence and the physicians seemed alarmed, we sent 
a dispatch to the folks at home soon after midnight. Owing 
to carelessness or inability of the operator, the message 
was not delivered to the parties to whom it was directed till 
almost noon. Then it was impossible for them to reach 
the depot in time lor the I o'clock train, which was the 
only train going east that would stop at Payne that day. 

All that transpired from this time till Wednesday noon 
would fill many pages with sad and sorrowful records, but 
suffice it to say that he was hurried along from one stage 
of the disease to another as though he was on a "Light- 
ning Train." On Tuesday his sister, Ella, came from Fort 
Wayne and was much surprised to find him in such a crit- 
ical condition. She sent letters and dispatches to relatives, 
but owing to some delay of the carrier they received the 
word too late to come on Tuesday and before train time on 
Wednesday, the "grim monster" had done his work and 
one of the best men living was dead. 

On Tuesday morning Dr. Stemen, of Fort Wayne, 
was telegraphed to come as council to Drs Gorrel and 
Cartvvright. He boarded the first train available and was 
there by noon, and as he stood by the bedside his counte- 
nance told his decision, and the dying man, though delir- 
ious, was not slow to read it, for as soon as he was gone 
the elder said, "Now, see there, that doctor just came in 
and looked at me a little while and then went right out and 
never-gave me a word of encouragement, nor even a dose 
of medicine — it's no use — it's done — it's all gone — I want 
the rest of you to get away too, or it will go as it has with 
me. Let me get out of doors where it is cool, and plenty 
of fresh air and cold water, and I .will get along all right." 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 85 

He seemed to realize that the malady was prevailing 
as an epidemic in the town, and wanted his wife and chil- 
dren to leave for their own safety. As the, day wore away 
and the fever began to abate, and when his attendants had 
done all in their power to make him comfortable and would 
leave him to rest or sleep a few minutes, he would fold his 
hands across his breast and in a sweet plaintive tone, sing: 
"There's a land that is fairer than day 
By faith we can see it afar." 
with the chorus, 

"In the sweet by and by." 

Later on, his speech seemed to fail him and he talked 
very little and with much difficulty; and was taken with par- 
oxisms of laughter — he would laugh as heartliy as ever he did 
when he was well. But this seemed to be the preface to 
the last chapter of the book of his life; the neighing of the 
"pale horse" as he was goaded on by the "sickle-armed" 
rider. 

I will here state that in all his sickness he never refused 
taking his medicine or nourishment until the Fort Wayne 
doctor prescribed brandy to be taken internally; this he 
firmly refused and when his attendants forced some of this 
alcoholic stimulant into his mouth he wept like a child but 
did not say an ill word. 

Night came on, and its somber curtains were drawn 
around this grief stricken home; and there was no rest, no 
sleep, no joy, and no mirth among that anxious company 
of friends and attendants. And at midnight there was a 
cry, "behold the bridegroom cometh, is the bride ready?" 
"She is ready but her friends detain her. " "He is dying." 
"Bring the doctor, quick." "O ! it's no use he's going." 
"Sing to him as he passes into deaths chilly waters," said 
his mother. But all seemed in too profound a depth of 



86 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

grief to start a hymn. But she laid one hand on his clammy 
brow and with the other she held his hand in a gentle lov- 
ing grasp and in broken accents sung: 

"In heaven above, where all is love 
There'll be no more sorrow there." 

Then Sister Baughman, a Methodist lady, came in 
with her book and led in singing a few appropriate songs 
with that peculiar sweetness that accompanies a voice mod- 
ulated with grief. "He's rallying; perhaps it's not death- 
it may be only the crisis — perhaps recovery is yet looming 
up in the future." "Listen, that's the doctor." "Things 
may change for the better yet," was the language of the 
anxious, love-blinded family. Then nourishment and stim- 
ulants were brought and administered, hot flannels were 
applied and changed every few minutes, the sweat was 
wiped, the fan was vibrating, gentle loving words were 
spoken by wife, mother, sister and children in vain hope of 
getting a distinct answer. And thus the spirit that was 
yearning to go at the midnight call, was detained till high 
noon; yes, twenty minutes after twelve and the "silver cord 
was broken." No husband's voice was heard to cheer the 
home, no father's footsteps were listened for by the 
prattling children. No pen was writing messages, telling 
of his success in the gospel to anxious loving parents. No 
minister was there to occupy the vacant pulpit, and com- 
fort the sorrowing congregation. Then was heard the heart- 
rending sobs from a disconsolate widow and orphan 
children. A mother's staff had fallen from her hand, and 
a sisters's hopes fled. "There's the train." "O ! could 
they only have got here an hour earlier. They will not be 
expecting this. O, how can they endure to come in, and 
see him in the embrace of death," were choking words of 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 



87 



a weeping sister. "There they come walking down the 

sidewalk weeping and wringing their hands; they have 

heard it at the depot. What a crowd of them. The 

father and mother of the weeping widow, the father of the 

deceased minister, his only brother, almost overwhelmed 

with grief, Elder Gillespie, his yoke fellow in the ministry, 

B. F. Ihrig and Jacob Raber, members of the home 

church." Oh ! what a sad meeting of loving friends; they 

could scarcely believe that the gentle spirit had fled from 

the placid features of their beloved friend and brother. 

But these sad partings have been taking place ever since 

our first parents were driven out of the garden of Eden. 

And joy, peace and union unalloyed with sorrow, parting 

and disappointment, are only found in the paradise of God. 

"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep, 

From which none ever wakes to weep." 





CHAPTER XIV. 

AFTER THE STRUGGLE — PREPARATIONS FOR THE BURIAL — THE 
FUNERAL. 

HEN DID he take worse," asked his heart broken 
n brother. "On Sunday a few hours after you left. 
4jp£| What delayed your coming so long, I looked for 
some of you all through the night; I supposed you would 
come through in some vehicle and not wait for the train." 
"Well, mother, we had a sad funeral at the home church; 
our dear little sister, Delly Richmond, is dead and buried; 
and there was a mistake about delivering the letters, and 
the night operator failed to send out the telegram in time 
to take the train yesterday, And then we had no idea he 
was so ill. Did he die hard?" ''Yes. About half an 
hour before the breath left him, he had a terrible struggle 
with the grim monster, but there seemed to come to his 
rescue one of those horses unseen to natural eyes, that 
were encamped on the mountain of Dothan: 2 Kings, 6: 
17. He moved and braced up every muscle in his body 
and put his hands together, clenched as though holding 
the rein of the bridle and raised his eyebrows and seemed 
to ride through the "valley and shadow of death" as proud 
and gallant as any general that ever commanded a battle; 
and after this his countenance wore a peaceful smile, and 
as I placed a quilt beneath his head when Brother Campbell 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 89 

removed the pillow, he spoke the work "mamma."' Then 
his wife came and bent lovingly over him, and said, "Solon 
can't you speak to me once more ? This is Jennie don't, 
you know me ?" He opened his eyes and tried to speak 
but his tongue failed to obey his will, and with a smile he 
raised his eyebrows and politely answered with a nod or 
bow of the head. A few more. breaths, a few more kisses 
pressed on his forehead, and all was over. 

I held to his hand till he was far out in the chilly 
water of death, and for an instant the vail was lifted "that 
intervenes between the fair city and me," and "the mists 
were cleared away," and on the other side of the river 
stood the "Fair City," on a gently sloping hill side, with 
streets covered with arches resting on piers, all covered 
with white, and delicate tinted flowers, and in the streets 
and on the hillside was "the great multitude of the 
redeemed that no man could number;" and near the 
farther bank of the river stood a form, like that of 
Sister Eva, who was hurled into eternity but a short time 
ago by the locomotive engine, as though waiting to wel- 
come him, who was so long her instructor in the church, 
and Sunday school, to that delightful shore beyond the 
Jordon of death, where there is no more sorrow nor crying, 
"And the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are 
at rest." 

"In a moment this beautiful vision had vanished and 
we were all here in the presence of death." While this 
conversation was going on, in an adjoining room preparations 
were being made to embalm the corpse and prepare it for 
removal to the home of his childhood — to his father's 
house in Whitley county, Ind. 

The good brethren from the home church assisted by 



90 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

the brethren at Payne were busy sending dispatches and 
letters to different places and to Rev. Updike who was 
at Toledo holding a meeting at the time; and making prep- 
arations for the funeral at the home church on Saturday. 
The dear sisters of Payne were rendering every assistance 
in their power to make things pleasant, and to mitigate the 
sorrows of this bereaved family. 

On Thursday morning Mrs. Seley brought her camera 
and took a negative of the dead minister as he lay in his 
casket, after which a short but impressive service was con- 
ducted by Rev. Smith, minister of the Methodist church. 
After a song by the choir Brother Smith read part of the 
fourteenth chapter of St. John's gospel, then Brother 
Wiltsie, elder of the church of Christ, offered a most 
tender and impressive prayer, after which Brother Smith 
gave a talk that was brief but to the point. 

After expressing his heartfelt sympathy and pity in 
words of kind regard and comfort to the family and rela- 
tives, he said he had never met a man, to whom he became 
so much attached and loved so tenderly in so short a time. 
He said further, that earth was made better because he 
lived, and heaven richer because he died. 

Immediately after the conclusion of the service the 
remains were removed to the hearse and driven by Mr. 
Cowel to his father's home at Forest, Whitley county, 
lnd., Elder Gillespie and daughter accompanied the hearse 
in their carriage. At I o'clock in the afternoon the family 
and relatives, accompanied by Mayor Gaut and his wife, 
took the train for Raber station, where they found a num- 
ber of conveyances and kind friends waiting to take them 
to their destination. About 5 o'clock the carriages drove 
in to Father Howenstine's home bringing the sorrowful 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 9 1 

party that came from the scene of death at Payne, to meet 
a large crowd of anxious, sympathizing friends and neigh- 
bors, who had taken possession of the house and had every- 
thing in readiness for the sad occasion. At 8 o'clock the 
hearse arrived and the pall bearers carried the dear son 
into the parlor for his last visit at the old homestead where 
he remained until Saturday morning, August 19th. When 
his remains were removed to the church at Forest, where 
he first confessed Christ, and took membership in the fam- 
ily of God, and labored as an elder and a Sunday school 
superintendent and teacher for so many years. Rev. 
Updike conducted the funeral services, assisted by Elder 
Hummel, of Marion, Ind. His text may be found in 
Matthew 25: 21, "Well done, thou good and faithful ser- 
vant; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make 
thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." 

It was said by many, who are competent judges, that 
it was the ablest and most pathetic funeral discourse that 
was ever preached in this locality, and was attentively lis- 
tened to by nearly one thousand persons. After Brother 
Updike had concluded his discourse, Brother Hummel 
spoke with much feeling and tenderness of his intimate 
association and friendship with the deceased and of his 
encouraging him to enter into the ministry. After which 
the undertaker uncovered the casket and directed the view- 
ing of the remains, which occupied nearly an hour. The 
final leave taking of the family and congregations to whom 
he had been pastor was a most touching scene. Strong 
men who had seldom been known to shed a tear, even over 
the coffins of their own dead, stood weeping like children. 
When this last parting on the shores of time was over, 



92 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

the sad procession moved slowly on to Evergreen cemetery 

where loving hearts and busy hands had prepared a most 

beautiful grave, all lined with snow-white batting and a 

wreath of myrtle encircling its vhole circumference; and 

when the casket was borne in and olaced above it, and the 

beautiful pillows, and crosses, and anchors of flowers that 

loving hands had supplied, were removed, and it was gently 

lowered to the beautiful resting place, and the thickly 

batted plank was let down to shut out forever from mortal 

sight, the dear form it covered, there was scarcely a sob 

heard from the family; they had taken their leave of him 

and looked no more down into the grave to see the object 

of their affections, but left him to his sweet repose. 

"The storm that wrecks the wintry sky. 
Xo more disturbs his sweet repose; 
Than summer evening's latest sigh 
That shuts the rose." 

Man that is born of woman, is of few .days and full of 
trouble. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust; and the clods of 
the earth covered what was so very dear to hundreds of 
loving friends. 



CHAPTER XV. 

EXTRACTS FROM THE FUNERAL DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY REV. 
J. V. UPDIKE — CALLED TO HIGHER WORK — FIT FOR THE 
SOCIETY OF AXGELS. 

tS WE failed in getting a stenographer to note down 
this most touching discourse, we will endeavor to give 
a few extracts in our own language, which may fall 
as far short of his iively, enthusiastic manner of expression 
as a dead body falls short of fully representing the living 
subject. 

The scripture lesson read by Brother Updike waS the 
46th Psalm, beginning "God is our refuge and strength, a 
very present help in trouble," and ending, "The Lord of 
hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." And 
also the first part of the 21st chapter of Revelations refer- 
ing to the "New heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth 
righteousness;" and to the promise that "God shall wipe 
away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any 
more pain, for the former things have passed away." 

His text was taken from Matthew's gospel, 25: 21. 
"His Lord said unto him, well done thou good and faithful 
servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will 
make thee ruler over over many things; enter thou into the 
joy of thy Lord." Brother Updike remarked that he had 



94 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

been trying for fifteen years to find a subject for whom he 
could truthfully and heartily preach a funeral discourse 
from this text. But to-day he had a subject before him 
that might have said with the Apostle Paul, "I have fought 
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith." 

He said further, "Since I first made his acquaintance, 
I have known nothing of him but true fidelity. He was 
every day and every hour about his Father's business. In 
this he followed the example of the blessed Christ. His 
hearts desire and prayer to God, was, that he might be 
able to do much good in the world, and be instrumental in 
saving many precious souls. He was humble, innocent, 
frank and open-hearted as a child; and though he was one of 
the best of husbands and a kind father, and desired his family 
to have plenty to keep them comfortable, he neyer worried 
about his salary. The one great object he had in view was: 
How much good can I do ? How many hearts can I touch 
with the grand old story of the cross ? How many lives can 
I lead into paths of righteousness, and teach them that 'it is 
not all of life to live, nor all of death to die;' and how many 
souls can I warn of the byways that lead away from the 
highway of holiness into the sloughs of sin and degreda- 
tion?" All these and many more, were his high aspira- 
tions. There were none of God's human creatures down 
so low, but that Brother Howenstine's love and pity reached 
after them, nor none so high, but what he sought to bring 
them down to the plain teaching of the gospel of Christ. 
He was honest and upright in all his dealings with man- 
kind, and true and loyal to the great God, whose plan of 
salvation he was so faithfully presenting to a sinful world. 
Let us not be selfish in our grief, but while we are thinking 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 95 

» 

of our loss, let us remember that our brother has gained a 
home in heaven, eternal life, a crown of glory. 

It was through my influence that he moved to Payne 
where he has accomplished such a great work in the name 
of the Lord; and it is beyond our comprehension, why God 
suffered this malignant disease to lay hold on him, and make 
his body an unfit dwelling place for his sweet gentle spirit. 
God has called him to a higher plane — a higher sphere of 
action. The very best men die young. 

Jesus Christ was only thirty-three when his work on 
earth was finished. Brother Solon has done more and bet- 
ter work in other vocations of life, besides the work of the 
ministry, than many other men who have lived to a ripe 
old age. His place in the pulpit at Payne, and in the 
hearts of the members, and in the social circles, cannot be 
filled as he filled them. He was one among a thousand in 
looking after the necessities of all classes of society. The 
cause of the ragged waif of the street was not beneath his 
notice. Oh, he was so faithful over the few things that 
God had committed to his care, and his labors and his 
afflictions have worked out for him a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory; and he has the promise of 
being made ruler over many things. When we consider 
what he has accomplished, he has not died young. He has 
lived eighty years in thirty-seven; not in amassing wealth, 
though he has left a comfortable sustenance for his family, 
but in the good he has done, as is shown in the impression 
he made on the minds of those with whom he associated 
in life, and in the way he has endeared himself to the 
multitudes of people. His life time is not counted by 
days, months and years, but by the good deeds he has 
done, the grand work that he has accomplished and the 



g6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

sacrifices he has made for the cause of the Master, and the 
influence he has exerted over the lives of many, that may 
not cease to work for the glory of God in this world, or in 
the world to come. 

There is no need of any word that I may utter to 
remind you of the loss we have sustained in the death of 
our dear brother. There is perhaps not a solitary person 
in all this vast audience who is not a mourner. And many 
under the sound of my voice have been led to Christ through 
his labors and his exemplary life. Every community where 
he resided, if it was but a short time, was made better and' 
happier by his presence. We felt the benefit of his loving 
presence, even the short time he sojourned with us in Fort 
Wayne. He would come to my home with smiling coun- 
tenance, gentle spirit and loving heart, and we would sit 
down and talk from noon till evening and other times from 
evening till midnight; and you may wonder what we talked 
about. It was not about the gossip of the city, nor how 
to make money, nor how to take the advantage of our 
neighbor in the way of a bargain of trade. Ah, no ! it 
was how we might present the gospel in order to accom- 
plish the most good, and how can we through its influence 
save souls and make individuals and homes happy. And 
how can we best combat against the infidelity, the false 
teaching and the false doctrine, and the many evils that 
are rampant in this country of ours. 

In the person of Brother Howenstine everybody in 
the community found they had a true friend, one that 
would give them good reasonable advice on almost any 
subject that would come in question, and he would always 
point them to the word of God for comfort and consola- 
tion, and rules by which to guide our actions and conver- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. Qj 

sation. And when we consider that this beautiful and 
useful life was just unfolding, as a half blown rose blushing 
beneath the sparkling dew drops of a summer morning, we 
cannot conceive what it might have attained to, had it been 
permitted to go on in its high and holy aspirations in this 
present world. One thing we know — that his purity of 
life, honesty of purpose, and chastity of conversation was 
befitting for the society of angels. But years were not to 
be the stepping stones to the sublime heights to which this 
noble soul should attain. 

"He lives the most 

Who thinks the most, feels the noblest, acts the best; 

We live in deeds, not in years; in thoughts, not in breaths, 
In feelings, not in figures on the dial.' 11 

May the Lord bless and comfort, and sustain this heart 
broken widow, and these fatherless children, this sorrowing 
father and weeping mother, these brothers and sisters who 
have lost their elder brother, and these flocks that have lost 
a tender shepherd. May the Lord help us all to look 
through our tears and sorrows to Jesus the Chief Shepherd 
who is a present help in time of trouble; a father to the 
fatherless, an husband to the widow, and a friend that 
sticketh closer than a brother. 

Dear friends, be faithful and loyal and prayerful a few 
more days or years at most, and one by one as we've sung 
to-day we will be gathered home to enjoy the society ol 
loved ones, of saints and apostles, patriarchs and prophets, 
angels and archangels, and the glorified Savior himself. 
Amen. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

OBITUARY, BY REV. UPDIKE, EDITOR OF 'THE GOOD NEWS" 

REJOICING IN SUCCESS — NOT DEAD BUT SLEEPING — SUPER- 
INTENDENT NINE YEARS — RESOLUTIONS. 

HE following is an obituary from the pen of Rev. J. 
V. Updike, editor of The Good News: 

ELDER S. A. HOWENSTINE. 

' 'Tuesday evening, August 8th, 1893, our dear brother 
in Christ, Solon A. Howenstine, preached his last sermon 
in the United Brethren church at Baldwin, about seven 
miles from Payne, Paulding county, Ohio, on ''Paul's 
Second Missionary Tour, " Last spring we prevailed upon 
Brother Howenstine to take charge of the Church ol 
Christ in Payne. He did so and moved his family from 
Fort Wayne, Ind., to Payne, and from the very first the 
church began to prosper until it was one of the strongest 
churches and Sunday schools in the county. Everybody 
loved him, and he had calls from all parts and denomina- 
tions to preach for them. He was in the few weeks that 
he was there, one of the best known and most popular 
preachers in that part of the country. He was always 
kind and friendly to all. He loved the truth and would 
not compromise it for any one; always aiming to convince 
other of its importance. He started to his appointment 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 99 

at Baldwin when his temperature registered one hundred 
and three degrees. His wife and Dr. Gorrel tried to per- 
suade him to give up the appointment and not go that 
night, but he said, 'No, I have an appointment there and 
the people will loose confidence in me if I disappoint 
them. I must go and do my duty. ' 

"Dr. Gorrel sent his son to take him in the carriage 
as he had no conveyance of his own. He preached his 
sermon and when he returned he began to chill. The doc- 
tor was called and did what he could, and called to his 
assistance other able physicians of Payne and Fort Wayne 
but to no avail. Typhoid fever had marked him and he 
must go. A man in excellent health before, large, fleshy, 
robust and active, must give up to die. 

"When he was conscious and learned that he must go, 
he called his wife and little, children around him, (three 
beautiful girls, one already in the church) and told them 
what he wanted them to do, to always be good and faithful 
to the Lord and that he desired Brother Updike to preach 
his funeral discourse, &c. Then he became unconscious 
and on Wednesday noon his spirit took flight and one of 
the best men we ever knew was dead. The wife and chil- 
dren worked with him to bring him back, but he did not 
hear their cries or calls. 

"On Saturday, August 19th, at the church where he 
was converted to Christ when he was nineteen years old, 
and where he had been one of the best Sunday school 
superintendents they ever had, and one of the most faith- 
ful elders the church ever had for years, before he moved 
away to preach the gospel in other parts. The funeral ser- 
mon was preached to the largest audience that had ever as- 
sembled in that place, from Matthew XXV: 21; 'Well done, 



100 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over 
a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. ' It was one of the 
saddest days of our life to stand and see the heart-broken 
father and mother, and the only brother, and sisters, and 
brothers-in-law and the church that loved him so much, 
weeping, and then the poor wife and children weeping as 
though their hearts would break. It is impossible to give 
a description of the scene. 

"For nearly two years Brother Howenstine had been 
taking instructions from us in evangelistic work. He 
seemed so near to us. He was so apt in learning and was 
as teachable as a little child. He would go out and do his 
very best to carry out our instructions, and then come to 
us rejoicing in success, and would take us by the hand and 
with tears in his eyes would say: 'Brother Updike, I could 
not have had that success if it had not been for your help.' 
We would say, 'Go ahead, and see if you don't succeed 
anywhere, just so long as you carry out those plans of 
work. Give God all the glory. 

"Can it be that we can never meet Brother Howen- 
stine any more in this world? We feel as though we had 
been robbed of a true and faithful brother, and the church 
lost a faithful worker. 

"He was going to be one of the bright lights here. 
He will shine forever and ever. His mother, who is a very 
intelligent disciple, had always been one of his faithful 
advisors . It is said that he never gave her a cross word. 
What a grand thing to say of a .man, who had been with 
his mother all of his life up to the time he was over thirty- 
six years old. What a good example to young men in this 
day of disobedience. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. IOI 

"He was earnest and zealous, prayerful and pious, 
steady and studious, humble and harmless. He seemed to 
have but one ambition and that was to win souls to Christ 
, and buiid up the church of Christ. He was in for helping 
every good work. The C. W. B. M., the Y. P. S. C. E., 
the home mission work, and everything that pertained to 
the work of saving souls. 

"There was nothing like jealousy in his nature. He 
tried to help everybody and everybody desired to help him. 
He was a success. He loved his wife and children dearly, 
and his wife was a good helper for him. She could see 
that he was studying too hard and would frequently speak 
of it, when he would answer, 'Brother Updike can do it 
and so can L' , 

"He could have stood it all right if that poison had 
not lodged in his system. The church at Payne, Ohio, 
will never find a man that will fill his place. 

"It is a good church and will do well by any man who 
will go among them and do his duty as he ought. Brother 
Hummel, of Marion, Ind., who had encouraged Brother 
Howenstine to enter the ministry, was present at the fun- 
eral and spoke words of praise of the deceased, and words 
of comfort to the friends. 

"We are sorry that we have not the diary of Brother 
Howenstine so that we could give more particulars of his 
life before we knew him. He has gone before. We hope 
to meet him in the 'sweet by and by. 

"It is not far to that bright land of love and it will not 
be long until we will be there if we are faithful to our 
Master. Let us be faithful while life shall last and then go 
home, to be forever with the Lord, and all the loved ones 
over there. 



102 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

' 'Dear brother, you are not dead, but sleeping. No 
pain, no sorrow, no parting, no sickness, no sin, no death, 
no tears over there. You are happy now and forever more; 
so good bye, good bye brother, good bye." 

We clip th,e following from the Payne Press: 

HE IS NO MORE. 

"Elder S. A. Howenstine, beloved pastor of the 
Church of Christ at this place, after a weeks' illness of 
typhoid fever, at 12:40 o'clock p. m. yesterday, breathed 
his last. 'He has fought a good fight,' and in the prime 
of a glorious manhood, an earnest, kindly noble soul has 
passed away. And we who knew his manly qualities, 
stand in the shadow of the tomb and ask in vain, 'why 
should it be ?' No answer comes, and we must bow before 
the conqueror alike of kings and peasants; for death is no 
respector of persons. He came among us a stranger, a 
few months ago, but to-day hundreds feel they have lost a 
tender, sympathetic, manly friend and helper. He had 
ever a word of appreciation for honest endeavor, a word of 
cheer for the despondent and distressed, and in his daily 
life, as well as precepts, exemplified the teachings of the 
great Master, whose work he had been called to perform; 
there can be no greater eulogy than this. 

"His stay among us has done much good, and he will 
be sadly missed — how much, we can not apprehend. 
Earth has too few such grand and helpful men. To his 
stricken family and friends we extend our heartfelt sym- 
pathy and kind regards, knowing they have no power to 
comfort those who are so sadly bereft. 

"Elder Solon A. Howenstine, son of William and 
Lydia Howenstine, was born in Stark county, Ohio, Novem- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 103 

ber 29, 1856, and departed this life, August 16, 1893, 
aged thirty-six years, eight months and seventeen days. 

"When a small boy his parents removed to Whitley 
county, Ind. , and resided near Laud where he grew to 
manhood. He attended the Northern Indiana Normal 
School at Valparaiso, and prepared for teaching, which he 
successfully followed for about ten years. He united with 
the church in, early manhood and always led a consistent 
christian life; was assistant superintendent three years and 
superintendent nine years of the Sunday school at Laud. 
While teaching he began a course of study for the minis- 
try, and. was ordained a minister of the church of Christ 
about three years ago. He was called as minister in 
charge of the Little River and Salem congregations, and 
removed to Fort Wayne, Ind., November 10th, 1892. In 
May last, he removed to this place and resigned his work 
in Kosciusco and Allen counties, and took charge of the 
church of Christ at Payne, Ohio. 

"He was united in marriage October, 1881, to Miss 
Jennie Merriman, of Whitley county, Ind., to whom were 
born three children, Carrie, Alma, and Nellie, who with 
their mother survive him. The remains will be removed 
to-day to his father's home near Laud, Ind., where they 
will remain until Saturday, when funeral services will be 
held at the church of Christ at Laud, and afterward interred 
in Evergreen cemetery near that place." 

The following resolutions were drawn up by a com- 
mittee appointed by the church of Christ, at Payne, Ohio: 

Payne, O., August 21, 1893. 

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove 
from our midst by death, our beloved brother, Elder Solon 
A. Howenstine, and 



104 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Whereas, His family has lost a kind and devoted 
husband and father, and the church of Christ at Payne an 
earnest, zealous pastor, and N 

Whereas, Our community has lost a citizen whose 
influence will leave a- lasting impression on all who knew 
him. Therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the church of Christ at Payne offer 
our heartfelt sympathy and condolence to the near relatives 
and to our dear sister, Jennie Howenstine, and her children, 
in this their sad hour of bereavement and pray that 
they will trust in the all wise Father; he, whom our brother 
so dearly loved — who is ready to comfort them in their sad 
affliction and in their sorrow, and be it 

Resolved, That the pulpit and his chair at the church 
of Christ be draped in the emblems of mourning for sixty 
days, and be it 

Resolved, That we, as citizens, extend to the family 
our heartfelt sympathy in this the saddest hour of their 
lives, and be it 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be put 
upon the record of the church, and a copy be sent to the 
family of the deceased, and also copies furnished each of 
the local papers, and the Columbia City Post and CJiristian 
Standard. 

{ S. J. Cambell, 
| W. S. Snook, 
Committee^ Clara Barney, 
I Jennie Harris, 
I^H. K. Gaut. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

OBITUARY AND MEMOKIUM — FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT — ASLEEP IN 
JESUS — A TRIBUTE — ANXIOUS FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL 
—PROMPTING. 

INHERE WERE many obituaries in different papers 
expressing tender sympathy and kind regards, and 
ff^s many messages of condolence, but we will not weary 
our readers with any more, except the one from the home 
church, which is as follows: 

IN MEMORIUM. 

Laud, Ind., August 27, 1893. 

"In the order of nature as instituted by our Heavenly 
Father, our brother, friend and associate in christian work, 
Elder S. A. Howenstine, has fallen at the hand of the 
dread conqueror, death, which awaits us all. 

"On August 16, 1893, the subject of our writing fell 
asleep at his residence in Payne, Ohio, after an illness of 
about one week of typhoid fever; aged thirty-six years, 
eight months and seventeen days. 

"Never in the past has it been our duty to perform a 
labor of love which presents greater difficulties, and which 
appeals more directly to the emotions, to submit calmly 
and look to the future hopefully for a perfect substitute, 
than in this event of the loss of our friend and brother* 



106 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

"Solon A. Howenstine was born in Stark county, 
Ohio, November 29, 1856, and came to Indiana with his 
parents in 1864, then but eight years old; where he spent 
his boyhood and grew to manhood. Brother Howenstine's 
chief characteristics were energy, ambition and zeal; con- 
tinually pushing toward the prize of the high calling. Our 
brother was the first to confess Christ after the dedication 
of the Forest Christian church in 1875. He was married 
to Miss Jennie Merriman, of >Whitley county, Ind., Octo- 
ber 2, 1 88 1, to whom were born three children, Carrie, 
Alma and Nellie, who with their mother survive him. 

"Never before was the language of Paul more perti- 
nent and applicable than in this instance of our sorrow. 'I 
have fought a good fight, 1 have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith." 

"Surely the life of our brother suggests the above 
language in his daily walk, conduct and christian influence. 
Nevertheless, in the face of all the christian condolence and 
sympathy, we are overcome with affliction and sadly 
exclaim: 'Why all this'?' But from the great beyond 
from whence no traveler returns, there comes not even an 
echo. But we silently and submissively return from the 
tomb to anchor more firmly than ever to 'The rock that is 
higher than I. ' 

"He attended the Indiana Normal school at Valpar- 
aiso, where he fitted himself for teaching, which he suc- 
cessfully followed for about ten years. He united with the 
church and has always led a consistent christian life and has 
demonstrated this by practice as well as by precept. He 
was superintendent of the Sunday school at Laud for nine 
years, but it is said here, to the honor of our brother, that 
all may look back upon the great good he has accomplished 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 107 

in the Sunday school work. We must remember now 
that he prepared his own maps and charts, a work of his 
own hands, with which to facilitate the work of teaching 
and make his lectures more easily comprehended. While 
yet engaged in teaching, our brother began a course of 
study for the ministry and was ordained a minister of the 
Christian church about three years ago. He was called in 
charge of the Salem and Little River churches and removed 
to Fort Wayne, when he was later called to take charge 
of the Christian church at Payne, Ohio, where he remained 
till death. What more remains for human hands to do, 
than to record the noble deeds accomplished by him in the 
short space of thirty- six years. Our dear brother, Solon, 
was truly an example of industry that may well be mod- 
eled: Those of us who knew him best, can best appreciate 
his noble, earnest deeds of kindness and manly qualities 
associated with a conscientious christian spirit. O, what a 
grand combination of characteristics and noble qualifica- 
tions. He has followed in the footsteps of Jesus as nearly 
as he could. 

"The. editor of the Payne Press says, 'Earth has too 
few such grand helpful men.' We will emphasize the 
above. Truly earth is not burdened with that type of man. 

"What grander eulogy can we pronounce, than that 
he was a christian gentleman under all circumstances ? He 
had not passed on the highway of life, the stone that marks 
the remotest point, but being weary, he lay down by the 
wayside and fell into that sleep which we call death — asleep 
in Jesus. He has added to the sum of human joy. He 
has done what he could, and how much in the short, but 
busy period of thirty-six years. Speech can not portray 
our love for him, nor express our admiration of his manli- 



108 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

ness. There was — there is no stronger, gentler, nobler 
type of christian manhood. We do therefore extend our 
heartfelt sympathies to the heart-broken wife and those dear 
little ones. To the father and mother and all the dear rela- 
tives, we beg you to accept our deepest condolence." 

"Leaves have their time to fall 

And flowers to wither at the north winds breath 

But thou hast all seasons, for thine own, O, death !" 

The following is a tribute of love and respect from the 
pen of Rev. S. C. Hummel, of Marion, Ind.: 

A TRIBUTE. 

'Tn. discharging the duty devolving upon me, an 
object assumes a distinct presence before me, as I look 
back in the history of a few years; and that the sainted, 
(but not because of age) but because of devotion, purity of 
heart, and christliness in life. Brother Solon Hovvenstine 
who only a few weeks ago underwent that change we call 
death; but Jesus # would say ''he sleepeth." A departure 
from th : s earthlife to that celestial life of peace and joy and 
blessedness. The setting sun of whose noble life was like 
unto the great luminary of day sinking beneath the western 
horizon, casting up its glittering rays to the zenith, to 
remind us of the unclouded sky through which he had 
passed in the day of life. 

"Enjoying the acquaintance of Brother Howenstine 
was one of the sweet recollections of my life. As an oasis 
in the great desert of life, so his association was a sweet 
repose from the active duties and labors that lay in our 
pathway. This acquaintance was never marred by any 
unpleasantness on the part of either of us. Our regard for 
each other was not pretentious, but the blending of kindred 
spirits to Christ. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. IO9 

''In undertaking a tribute to one so noble and so good 
I feel inadequate to the task. The first time I met him 
was in the church of his parents, and loved ones, and the 
faithful in Christ; which church he always loved and in 
which he always took an abiding interest. 

"It seems but yesterday, so vivid is the recollection of 
the greeting he gave me. I realized I had found a man of 
God whose naturally warm and genial heart had been 
touched with the Savior's love, and illuminated by the sweet 
spirit of the God he loved so well. 

"So proud and generous in spirit, making room for 
all who in heart loved his Savior. Hi? love did not stop 
with his brethren, but was anxious for the salvation of all, 
and always rejoiced in lifting up the fallen ones. His life 
was like a well of water springing up into eternal life; as a 
cistern receives trie genial showers from the literal heavens, 
moistening the spiritual atmosphere of his never to be for- 
gotten home, and the society in which he lived. He was 
indeed a model husband and father, and if in heaven he 
should see one crown left, he would say, "Crown my wife 
with it," and any golden harps, "give them to my 
children," for he loved them so well. I never saw greater 
devotion to the church and the Master's cause, than he 
manifested in all his doings. 

"In prosperity and adversity, he was a loyal servant 
of the blessed Savior. As a Sunday school superintendent 
I never saw his equal. It was through the encouragement 
of the writer that he was induced to devote his life to the 
ministry; accepting the call by virtue of his allegiance to 
Christ, to do all in his power to glorify his name. His 
work in the ministry was characterized by the same zeal 
and energy that was peculiar to him in all the walks of life. 



I 10 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

The matter of salary was no consideration with him. But 
the good he could do was his highest ambition. His suc- 
cess was almost phenominal and can be accounted for, 
because God was with him. Brother Gaut, of Payne, Ohio, 
said, 'he never preached a poor sermon for us.' 

"He believed that the gospel was the power of God 
unto salvation, and so he preached it with such excellent 
success. How sad to think of a life so useful, so pure, so 
good and so much needed should have to leave us. But 
how joyful the final victory. When life's battles with me 
are done, I expect to meet Brother Howenstine in God's 
holy city. Remembering the once hospitable home of our 
dear brother, I shall never forget to pray for his dear fam- 
ily that they may all meet him in that sweet by and by. 

"To his memory are these few lines dedicated, hoping 
they may be the means of prompting some one on the 
great ocean of time to pattern after his pure and noble life, 
and be saved in the eternal city of the redeemed. 

Respectfully in hope, 

S. C. Hummel." 



IN MEMORY OF YOUR LOVED ONE. 

On this holy Sabbath morning 

When your family prayers are said, 
There will be no papa, husband, 

But a vacancy instead; 
One is missing as you gather 

Round your hearthstone once so bright; 
No more listening for his footsteps, 

No more coming home to-night. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. Ill 

True, the pastor's words were spoken 

We not one can understand 
Why a christian soul so needed, 

Must yield to the death command; 
He, through constant, earnest pleading 

For God's vineyard gathered in 
Both the aged and the youthful 

From the many snares of sin. 

How they'll miss their worthy pastor 

When they near the house of prayer, 
When they see the pulpit empty 

And no smile of greeting there; 
Home friends mourn and loving parents, 

Brother, sisters, children true, 
But of all that bear this sorrow 

None will mourn his loss as you. 

But, dear Jennie, check your tear-drops, 

Bending o'er the new made mound, 
Let your veil of gloom be lifted, 

Look on life's true scenes around; 
Here is suffering, there is sorrow, 

Yonder pangs of strife and pain: 
Peace and rest beneath, above you. 

Do you wish him back again ? 



112 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

That sweet smile when last you saw him 

Lying calmly in death's sleep, 
Looked just like it will in heaven 

When your coming he shall greet; 
Standing in the fadeless sunlight 

You'll forget the gloomy past, 
And the welcome songs of angels — 

O what joy to meet at last ! 

Mrs, Minnie Bush. 






^ 



CHAPTER XVIII. - 

ELDER HOWENSTINE'S LAST SERMON — DESIRED LETTERS — BE- 
HOLD HE PRAYETH — SUFFER FOR THE NAME OF JESUS — 
TEACHING AND PREACHING — YE THAT FEAR GOD, GIVE 
AUDIENCE — THE GOD'S IN LIKENESS OF MEN. 

fHE FOLLOWING is a sermon delivered on Lord's 
Day evening, August 6th, 1893, by Elder S. A. 
Howenstine as near as we are able to render it from 
the notes and references he left: 

Scripture lesson, I Cor. 2:. Text, I Cor. 2: 2. "For I determined 
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him cruci- 
fied." 

The young man Saul was a person of great zeal and 
energy. What he considered to be right, he would do, if 
it cost him his life. He was a natiye of Tarsus, a city in 
Celicia — was an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, and be- 
longed to the sect of the Pharisees. He was a free born 
Roman citizen — had a good parentage. What a blessing 
to be born of good parents, who are not slaves of the devil 
nor any of his representatives. He had acquired a good 
Greek education in Tarsus, and then went to Jerusalem and 
studied Hebrew and law at the feet of Gamaliel; who was a 
great teacher and doctor of the law. The first account we 
have of this remarkable man is found in Acts 7: 58. "And 
the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's 



114 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, 
calling upon God, saying Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 
And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, 
lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said 
this, he fell asleep." 

I've heard people say, and professors of Christianity 
too, that they cannot love, nor pray for their enemies, but 
good old Steven did, when they were pelting him to death 
with stones, God help us to love our enemies! 

The spirit of persecution was then running at high tide 
and it wa° very much like an ?mbitious young student, to 
want to push ahead, and be to the front in any great enter- 
prise. It was the fashion then to be zealous of the law, 
and persecute christians, and almost every young man wants 
to be in the fashion; and perhaps also he might get an 
appointment as captain of a band to hunt down poor per- 
secuted christians, and cast them into prison. Accord- 
ingly when the excitement was at fever heat, he went to 
the high priest and desired letters that he might go to 
Damascus to the synagogues and if he found any followers 
of Christ, whether men or women, he might bring them 
to Jerusalem to cast them into prison, to await such a mock 
trial as that of Jesus or Stephen, who were condemed by 
false witnesses. O yes! he was a mighty personage in his 
own estimation; he had the documents in his pocket. 
What did he care for poor Christian women or their hus- 
bands or children ? So that he could have a big name, in 
carrying out the letter of the law. 

But God was taking care of those humble Christians 
down at Damascus. Their cry was continually going up for 
his care. But he had other work for this high spirited, 
energetic young man to do, than to bind poor helpless 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 1 5 

Christians and carry them to prison. In the ninth chapter 
of Acts we read, that as he was journeying toward 
Damascus with his retinue of servants, at mid-day there 
shone about him a light from heaven, far above the 
brightness of the Sun, and this proud man fell to the 
earth as he heard a voice say unto him, "Saul, Saul, 
why persecutest thou. me? And he said, Who art thou 
Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou perse- 
cutest. " Sinner, do you ever think that when you are 
persecuting or deriding one of the poorest and weakest of 
Christ's disciples, you are persecuting him? "In as much 
as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my dis- 
ciples, ye have done it unto me." And Saul, trembling 
and astonished, said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do." And the Lord said, " Arise and go into the city and 
it shall be told thee what thou must do." 

Christ had put the work of preaching the gospel into 
the hands of the apostles. It was not his mission to preach 
the gospel after he had passed through the gates into the 
city of God. 

There is a good preacher down in Damascus that will 
tell thee what thou must do. This great light from heaven 
had caused a blindness to come over the eyes of Saul and 
he was led into the city by his servants and he was three 
days without sight, neither did he eat or drink. 

This was quite a contrast to the way he expected to 
enter that city. He had in his mind to enter as a man of 
authority, a conqueror, hailing people on the streets and 
asking them of their religion. Little did he expect to be 
led into the city as a poor blind man enquiring for a physi- 
cian to open his eyes and instruct him how to be saved. 
And there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ana- 



Il6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

nias, and the Lord told him in a vision to go and preach 
the gospel to him. and restore him to sight, for behold he 
prayeth; and when he came to Saul he put his hands on 
him and said, "brother Saul, Jesus, that met thee in the 
way, sent me to thee, that thou mightest receive thy sight, 
and be filled with the Holy Ghost." 

And immediately he received his sight and arose and 
was baptized, and when he received meat he was strength- 
ened. He did not put off his baptism even till after dinner 
though he had fasted three days. This was very different 
from what many modern preachers teach to-day. I know 
a man who was a member of a church for eight years and 
was not baptized, and then he was induced to be baptized, 
but he said it did not do him a bit of good. This was 
owing to erroneous teaching in early life. Children should 
be taught that God is a good, merciful, allwise being, and 
requires nothing of us but what is just and right, and it is 
not for us to ask what good any of God's commands will 
do, but it is ours in all confidence to obey. And Saul began 
at once to preach in the synagogues. He did not wait till 
conference met to give him license. He did not confer 
with men, but went out to the wild Bedouins of Arabia, 
that he might not build on another man's foundation, but 
plant churches of his own in the name of Christ. And 
after he had preached among these pastoral people and to 
caravans of merchants that were crossing the desert, for a 
season, he returned to Damascus and preached Christ in 
that city for many days; and the Jews become so enraged 
at the strengh and power with which he preached, and the 
success that followed, that they took council to kill him. 
But their plot was made known to Saul, that they were 
watching the gates of the city day and night to apprehend 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. WJ 

him. Then the disciples let him down over the wall in a 
basket by night. The very persons that he came to hunt 
down and imprison and kill, now saved his life. 

The next place we hear of this great apostle turning 
up things was at Jerusalem, Acts 9: 29. And he spoke 
boldly in the temple, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and 
disputed against the Grecians; but they went about to kill 
him. His own brethren were afraid of him for they were 
not sure that he was a converted man, till Barnabas came 
and confirmed his statements. But here, as at Damascus 
death was staring him in the face. Behold how much he 
must suffer for the name of Jesus. But again when the 
brethren discovered their plots, they took him down to 
Cesarea and from there to Tarsus to his old home. O, 
what a glorious thought to go home a christian, filled with 
the holy spirit. Methinks I can see him falling upon the 
neck of his aged father and kissing him and telling him of 
the love of Jesus. And sitting down by his mother and 
telling her of the many narrow escapes, trials and afflictions 
that he passed through. At the time of the persecution at 
Jerusalem, the saints were scattered abroad and went in all 
directions preaching the gospel to whomsoever they met in 
their way. This is an example of women preaching as 
well as men, for we know that many of the saints, or disci- 
ples, at Jerusalem were women. Some went to Antioch, 
some to Samaria, and Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul, 
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch 
and remained there a whole year and taught much people, 
and the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, 
Acts XI, 26. 

This we think is the new name spoken of by the 
prophet Isaiah LXII, 2. And there were prophets at 



Il8 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Antioch from Jerusalem, and one Agabus prophesied that 
there would be a great dearth over all the land, and the 
disciples determined to send relief to the brethren who dwell 
in Judea. They did not wait to see first whether these 
prophesies came to pass before they made these arrange- 
ments, but were strong in the faith, believing that when 
God spoke through the mouth of a prophet, that it would 
actually come to pass, and began to prepare for it. Their 
bounties were sent thither by the hands of Barnabas and 
Saul. 

About this time the saints at Jerusalem were having 
great trouble. Herod had killed James and cast Barnabas 
into prison. When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their 
mission in taking relief to Judea they returned to Antioch 
taking John Mark with them, who was a nephew of Bar- 
nabas. And after they returned it seems they had a kind 
of preacher's meeting or conference and fasted and waited 
upon the Lord. "He that waiteth upon the Lord shall 
renew his strength." — Isa. XL, 31. And as they contin- 
ued ministering and waiting on the Lord, the Holy Ghost 
said, "separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where- 
unto I have called them. So they being sent forth by the 
Holy Ghost departed to Seleucia, a seaport on the Mediter- 
ranean, and from thence they sailed to the island of Cyprus. 
They came to Salaomis, the chief city of the island and 
here they found Jews and places of worship, and they, with 
their comrade, John, entered into the synagogue and 
preached the word of God. Saul was determined wherever 
he went either by land or sea, to know nothing but Jesus 
Christ and him crucified. He that would reign with his 
Lord and share his glory, must also share his reproach. 
When they called the Master Beelzebub and said, he hath 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 1 9 

a devil, what will they not do to the servants ? 

But this zealous apostle canvassed this whole island, 
more than one hundred miles in length, even unto Paphos, 
teaching and preaching the word of God; but here at 
Paphos they encountered a Jew that was a sorcerer and a 
false prophet, whose name was Barjesus, or Elymus, by 
interpretation, and was the companion of the deputy or 
governor of the island, who was a prudent man, and called 
for Saul and Barnabas and desired to hear the word of God. 
He wanted to get into better company and embrace a better 
doctrine than that taught by this old vagabond. And when 
these apostles were teaching this governor the way of life, 
Elymus withstood them, opposed them, and tried to turn 
the governor from the faith. Then Saul, filled with the 
Holy Ghoht, set his eyes upon Kim. 

Oh what a look that must have been ! the spirit of 
God beaming out of a man's eyes — such a look as the 
Savior gave Peter when he had made his third denial. And 
Paul (for here he was called by his Greek name) said, "thou 
child of the devil, full of subtility and mischief, thou enemy 
of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervent the 
right ways of the Lord?" Now the hand of the Lord is 
upon thee, and thou shalt be blind for a season, and he went 
about seeking some one to lead him. O, how many such 
false prophets we have to-day, who are trying to lead peo- 
ple away from the right ways of God. 

When we are having a good meeting, and sowing the 
good seed of the kingdom in the hearts of our hearers, 
then w T e can see these greedy hook-nosed vultures flying 
around the outskirts of the congregation, as busy as bees, 
picking the good seed out of the hearts of the wayside 
hearer, and telling him that it is no use to be so terribly in 



120 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

earnest about these things — that religion is just for old 
people, and invalids who cannot dance and have fun any- 
more, and all such delusions as these. But when death 
comes approaching stealthily or suddenly and unexpect- 
edly to some young person, these false prophets will be the 
last ones to come to try to speak a word of comfort or con- 
solation to the dying sinner. Scoffer, beware ! God can 
send a blindness upon you that may last through all eternity. 
We are called to the work of the Lord to-day, for the night 
cometh when no man can work. 

When Paul and his companions loosed from Paphos 
they came to Perga; and John left them and went to Jeru- 
salem — became discouraged and went home. It takes 
courage to be a missiorary; don't be stingy, give a little to 
the support of those who go. But when they departed 
from Perga they came to Antioch in Pisidia. This was a 
Grecian city, and here they also found a synagogue and 
they went in on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after 
reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers sent unto 
them saying, "ye men and brethren, if ye have a 
word of exhortation for the people, say on." Then Paul 
arose, saluting the audience, and his heart filled with the 
word of the spirit, he said "ye men of Israel and ye that 
fear God, give audiance." 

Then he began away back in the patriarchal dispensa- 
tion, and brought forward one great truth after another, 
down through the time when Israel was governed by judges 
and when they desired a king, God gave them Saul, and 
for disobedience he was removed, and David anointed in 
his stead; and showed from the prophets and psalms, that 
from his seed, God, according to promise, raised unto Israel 
a Savior, Jesus; whom John the baptist preached in the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 121 

wilderness, and because they knew him not they con- 
demned and crucified him; but God raised him up, break- 
ing the bars of death and bringing life and immortality to 
light* powerfully convincing them that Jesus was the Christ 
•of prophesy, and warned them not to be despisers of his 
gospel, that it might not happen to them as it is spoken by 
the prophets. And after the Jews had gone out, perhaps 
to talk and consider the matter, the gentiles came to the 
apostles and desired that these words might be preached to 
them again the next Sabbath. 

They were not like some christians who want a new 
sermon, a new doctrine, new songs, and a new suit of 
clothes almost every Lord's day. When the Grecians had 
a good old fashioned gospel sermon they wanted to hear it 
the next Sabbath again. This sermon must have been the 
chief topic of conversation during the week, for the next 
Sabbath nearly the whole city came together to hear the 
word of God. This was too much for the proud, selfish 
Jews; they were losing their popularity, and were filled with 
envy and indignation and spoke against the things spoken 
by Paul, blaspheming and contradicting them. Then Paul 
and Barnabas spoke boldly to them, telling them that God 
had commanded that his word should be spoken to them 
first, and if they did not hear, they should turn to the gen- 
tiles. v But the Jews were moved with envy, and stirred up 
the honorable men and women against them and expelled 
them from the city, and they shook off the dust from their 
feet as a testimony against them, and they came to Iconium 
and there they seemed to know nothing save Jesus Christ, 
and him crucified. 

The cross was the culminating point on the whole con- 
tinent of their labors; and at Iconium great multitudes of 



122 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

both Jews and Greeks were converted. But unbelieving- 
Jews stirred up the gentiles against them and laid a plot to 
stone them, and when the apostles were aware of it they fled 
to Lystria and Derby, cities of Lyconia, and preached the 
grand old story of the cross again and healed a born cripple 
and when the people saw the miracle they cried out, ''the 
gods have come down to us in the likeness of men;" and 
they called them Jupiter and Mercury, and their heathen 
priests brought oxen and garlands to sacrifice to them. 

But Paul ran among them and said "sirs we nre men 
of like passions with yourselves, and preach unto you, 
that ye should turn away from these vanities unto the 
living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all that 
is therein." 

The Jews then came over from Iconium and stirred up 
these heathens so that they stoned Paul and dragged him 
through the streets and out of the city, and left him for 
dead. I am persuaded that it was at this time that Paul 
was out of the body and was caught up to third heaven 
and saw and heard things that was not lawful for man to 
utter; and as the disciples stood around watching him, his 
life came to him, and he rose up, and the next day they 
went to Derba and preached the gospel there to much peo- 
ple and taught many and then returned again to Lystria 
and Iconium and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the 
disciples and exhorting them to continue steadfast in the 
faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into 
the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained elders 
in every church and had prayed with fasting they com- 
mended them to God on whom they believed. So we 
commend the disciples here in Payne to the mercies of God 
and pray that they may be preserved blameless unto the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 



123 



the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we are determined 
not to know anything among you but Jesus Christ and him 
crucified. Amen. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

CHRISTMAS SERMON PREACHED AT SALEM BY ELD. S. A. HOWEN- 
STINE DECEMBER 25, 1892 — WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR — ITS 
HOLY LIGHT STILL LINGERS — SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH THY 
NEIGHBOR. 

Scripture lesson, Matt. II, 1-7; Luke II, 7-20. Text, Isaiah IX, 6. 
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the gov- 
ernment shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called 
Wonderful Counsellor: the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, 
the Prince of Peace." 



I 




HRISTMAS is a conjunction of two words; Christ, 
IWa which means anointed, and mass, sending out. Christ 
Ifrl was sent out from God as a gift to a sin-cursed world 
and his birth was foretold by the prophets and was pointed 
out by the star of Bethlehem. How glorious the song of 
the angels, how sublime the music of the sphere, how grand 
the bells of the universe as they ring out, and sound the 
sweet refrain; "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace 
good will to men." Well might this message of love be 
taken up and used in dedicating the Atlantic cable, one of 
the greatest works ever achieved by mortal man. 

The good news, good-spell or gospel that was sent out 
or proclaimed, was, that Christ the anointed was born. 
The shepherds who were watching their flocks by night 
and had been visited by angels and a heavenly host chant- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 125 

ing God's love to man, caught the inspiration and left their 
flocks on the hills of Judea and went to the city of David 
to worship the new born Savior. 

The wise men — Persian astronomers, saw signs in the 
heavens, betokening that some great event had taken place, 
and were guided to Bethlehem by the appearance of a star, 
and found the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, 
a little helpless babe in his mother's arms, and presented 
the heavenly stranger with kingly gifts; gold, frankincence 
and myrrh. Herod, the king, had commanded them to 
bring him word, if they found the infant king, but the wise 
men were warned of God in a dream not to return to Herod 
but to go home another way. But Herod was very wroth 
and sent and slew all the children in Bethlehem under two 
years old. But God always takes care of his own. Before 
the horrible massacre took place, God warned Joseph in a 
dream to take the young child and his mother and flee into 
Egypt. 

O, to think what a beginning of the life of God's dear 
son. Like Moses, he had to be hid away, to save his precious 
life from the decrees of wicked kings. He that was with 
the Father before the world was created becomes a little 
babe, cradled in a manger in Bethlehem. Wonderful 
Christ; Wonderful Counsellor: wonderful to save poor, lost, 
wrecked sinners. It was wonderful to the people, and 
nations, when Joshua made the sun stand still while he 
gave battle to the king of the Ammonites, along the way 
that goeth up to Beth-Horon. 

Wonderful was the passing of the Israelites through 
the Red Sea, where the waters were driven back by an east 
wind, until they were a wall unto them on the right and on 
the left, so that they passed through on dry ground. O, 



I 26 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

what a wonder to the children of men when Daniel's life 
was preserved in the lions den, and the Hebrew children 
were saved in the fiery furnace, by an angel like unto the 
Son of God, that came and walked with them in the midst 
of the flames, and showed the wicked king, that the God 
who had created fire was greater and stronger than fire 
itself. 

But more wonderful than all these was the incarnation 
of the Son of God. With the approach of this welcome 
day we are reminded of the fact, that Jesus was the most 
lowly and humble of all mankind and went about daily 
ministering to the wants of the needy, both in spiritual and 
temporal things, and in his deatn we can say, with the 
apostle, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. 

At no other time have we such forcible recollections of 
the fact that Christ was not only the son of God, but also 
the son of man in the sweetest, tenderest and fullest sense, 
the man — our elder brother — the man of sorrows, the child 
— the Wonderful Counsellor of whom the prophets spake 
and saints of bygone ages anticipated and longed to behold. 
He was wonderful in lingering back among the lawyers and 
doctors in the temple when only twelve years old, confound- 
ing them with his questions and wisdom. He was wonder- 
ful in submitting himself to John's baptism in the river 
Jordan, when he was without sin, and wonderful in meeting 
satan in the wilderness and resisting his temptations by the 
answer, "It is written" so and so in the word of God. He 
was a sweet counsellor to the poor peasants of Palestine, 
such as the fallen woman whom the Jews brought before 
him to be stoned, and to whom he said, "go thy way and 
sin no more." Wonderful was the sermon He preached on 
the mount; this was a master-piece of wisdom never to be 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 127 

surpassed. He was a counsellor in disability and sickness 
of all kinds — a specialist in treating the eye and the ear, 
lameness and decrepitude. He was also a counsellor in law; 
no lawyer was sharp enough to puzzle him — he silenced 
them so that they ' 'durst not ask him any more questions." 
The advent of this wonderful child inaugerated the day 
when God stooped down to kiss fallen humanity and wash 
away aur guilty stains, and with his own hand wipe away 
the tears of a grief-stricken world. A day when men open 
their long closed hearts and think of the people around 
them, and beneath them, as fellow travelers, fellow suf- 
ferers and fellow sharers. A day when children come 
home from far and near and gather around the hearth-stone 
to gladden the hearts of their aged parents, and repeat the 
merry lines, 

"Pile on more wood, the wind is chill, 

But let it whistle as it will 

We'll keep our Christmas merry still." 

May each of us, as we stand here on the threshold of 
the most glorious of all anniversaries, have a share in that 
grateful joy experienced by the shepherds, as they, from 
the hill-country of Judea, saw the celestial fire flashing and 
burning on the canopy of heaven, as they listened with 
rapture to the sweet strains of the angelic messengers. 

The veritable star of Bethlehem may long since have 
faded but its holy light still lingers in the world and shines 
down deep in our hearts. The angelic song we may not 
hear but the echoes of its glad refrain still thrills in our 
souls. It may be, that, as on each return of this glad day 
we renew our carols of praise; so the grand angel choir 
that sung in the starlit sky of that first Christmas morn, 
may sing in the grey twilight of each succeeding one. 



128 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

There is something in the atmosphere of this monumental 
period, that thrills the heart with a strange sense of unde- 
fined, yet restful joy, even though outside affairs are gloomy, 
skies are dark, and streets frosty. There is such a feeling 
of blessedness abroad that one might almost believe that 
the Wonderful Councellor, the Prince of Peace, had left 
for a while, his throne in glory, to walk again, though 
invisible, on earth, and by his personal presence shed abroad 
love, peace and comfort in this sorrowful world. 

fie would not tarry long in the halls of nvrth and 
and feasting, nor even in the house of prayer, but would 
go out among the troubled, among the poor and afflicted, 
the sick and dying and bring sympathy, comfort and help 
to all. The lowly suffering ones, even the wretches who 
are outside the pale, that the world calls respectibility, 
would again, as once before, be the objects of his pity, and 
ministering love. O, man of business, strong and proud in 
your concious integrity and sense of power, but wedded to 
the greed of gain, in so much that you loose sight of the 
question, "What will it profit a man if he gain the whole 
world and lose his own soul?" 

Should the divine presence, the Wonderful Counsellor 
stop in your office and look over your shoulders upon the 
ledger, might you not find "A hand upon the wall," that 
would erase the long lines of figures that chronicle your 
gains, and write in their stead, "He that giveth to the- poor 
lendeth to the Lord?" O, rich men, and you that are 
blest with plenty, look up from the earth and behold the 
star that guided the wise men to the abode of poverty, even 
to the rude stable, and then cast your eyes about and see 
if there is not some poor abode to which you may be led. 
O, Christian, you who are reclining in your easy chair 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 2Q. 

reading your Bible, do not forget that the spirit of the law- 
is above the letter, and put by that sacred volume, and take 
your basket, filled with comforts for the sick and hungry, 
and go out among the poor, the miserable, and the 
oppressed and the divine spirit will guide your feet to 
where sin and sorrow, pairi and anguish have their gloomy 
retreats, and see if you cannot find some work ready for 
your hands to do. If any of us have spite, malice, wrath 
or envy lurking in our hearts, let us remember that our 
Heavenly Counsellor commands us to be filled with the 
holy spirit and put away wrath, evil speaking, lying and all 
filthy communication out of your mouth, and every man 
speak the truth with his neighbor. Jesus is wonderful as a 
present Savior. If we unstop our ears and listen to his 
gracious calls, and turn not away but forsake our sins, and 
repent of our wrongs and come trustingly to him he will in 
no wise turn anyone away. The poor, the downcast, the 
sorrowful and distressed, may all come to him and find rest 
to their souls; yes "bathe their weary souls in seas of 
heavenly rest." 

He is wonderful in the future when the day of wrath 
shall come as a thief in the night, to those who are not 
prepared — "who know not God, and obey not the gospel;" 
when the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll, and the 
righteous shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; 
and the wicked and unbelieving that are upon the earth 
shall call for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them and 
hide them from the wrath of God. 

Lo, then the earth shall give up her dead. Bat- 
tlefields, cemeteries, oceans and seas, shall deliver up the 
dead bodies they hold in their embrace. All must stand 
before this Wonderful Counsellor and give an account of 



130 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

the deeds done in the body. 

Oh ! then we will wish we had lived pure, honest, and 
upright lives: we will wish we had heeded the loving calls 
of the Savior, and been adopted into the family of God, 
made heirs of the kingdom, joint heirs with Jesus Christ 
our elder brother; and now while we sing one of the beau- 
tiful songs of Zion, we ask you, yes, we entreat you to 
come and make preparation for that eternity of love and 
blissful enjoyment that awaits the righteous. When we 
reach those heavenly shores, "where saints immortal reign," 
we will remember no more our trials and troubles, our foot- 
sore marches and our battles with the enemy, and our hope 
will be lost in glad fruition, as we bathe our souls in the 
presence of the Prince of Peace. 

"Father, in each sinful bosom 

• 

Bid the star of hope arise; 
Roll the clouds of doubt and darkness 
Backward from faith's starlit skies. 
Haste the day, when from all nations, 
Loud the joyous song shall ring, 
Glory be to God, the highest, 
Hallelujah to our King." 





CHAPTER XX. 
A MOTHER TO HER SON. 

IN MEMORY OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 

HEN thou wast a tiny smiling babe, 

I loved thee more than all the world beside; 
Thou wast my joy and comfort too 
And soon did grow to be my pride. 

When thou wast but a prattling lad 
And followed me about my work; 

Thy presence always made me glad, 
As near me thou wast wont to lurk. 

Thy little helps, how much I did appreciate 
When thou didst rock thy baby sister; 

And in thy mother's place officiate, 
So that the darling scarcely missed her. 

When thy feet began to tread the path, 
That wound its way to rural school, 

I watched thee in thine infant class 

Lest one so young should disobey the rule. 

And when thou wast a sprightly youth 
How much thou wast endeared to me; 

Because thou loved'st God's holy truth 
As by thy ways we well could see. 



132 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

When at our daily work we toiled, 

How sweet thy conversation must have been; 

Which came flowing from a heart unsoiled 
By contact with vice, and crime, and sin. 

Thy questions many, to answer, how I tried, 
To give the light in heavenly lore; 

And quell thy temper, guide thy pride, 
And gather wisdom for thy store. 

And when thou didst go out into the world 
To fight life's battles in the storm, 

A mother's prayers then stood thy guard 
As when she watched thy infant form. 

Till Christ's sweet gospel won thee to his love 
And claimed thy manhood for his own; 

I felt my prayers were heard above, 

And answered from the "great white throne." 

"Go tell my brethren" was the word 
"That He is risen to thy raptured soul; 

Those who the truth have never heard 
That they may reach that blessed goal." 

I bless the man of God that led thee out, 
And gave thee courage to proclaim 

Glad tidings to the world about, 
And do it all in Jesus' name. 

I bless the patient loving wife, 

That said in tears, "I bid thee go," 

And dear to her as her own life, 
But yet she did not say him no. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 33 

He left his farm and rural home 

And moved to town, where best he thought, 
He could serve the Master more alone, 

And his labor with much good be fraught. 

He always kept his armor bright 

And walked in paths where saints have trod; 
He loved the good, and chose the right 

And lived in daily peace with god. 

He labored with great zeal and strength 
To bring poor troubled souls to rest. 

But God looked down and e'en at length 

Said, "Enough, come dwell among the blest." 

"Good and faithful servant, well, thou hast done, 
Over a few things thou hast faithful been; 

I will make thee an heir with my glorified son 
And give thee more wealth, than princes have 
seen." 

We know thou art happy, and free from all care 
In presence of Jesus and angels so high. 

Walking the streets of yon city so fair 

Where we may all come, in the ' 'sweet by 
and by." 

O, Lord look down upon grief-stricken friends 
And pour consolation in our poor broken 
heart; 

And give us the comfort that grace ever lends 
The prospect of meeting him, never to part. 



134 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

WHY MOURN. 

The golden grain 

Is ripened, but to death, 

And summer leaves 

Must fall by autumn breath, 

For all things die; 

Behold the marble urn 
That shrines our dust 

Shall crumble in its turn. 

We mourn the young 

They perish as the flowers, 

Whose petals scarce 

Have kissed life's rosy bowers. 

Our brother, dear, 

Who vanished from our sight, 
As summer days 

That fade in azure light. 

His work was done — 
He fell not as the leaves, 

But ripened grain; 

And angels bind the sheaves. 

Our dearest friend 

Whose deeds were as a crown, 
Before we thought 

His glorious sun went down. 

As sinks the moon 

Low fading in the west, 

Its journey done; 

So went he to his rest. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 35 

The lines that care 

Upon his brow had traced, 
Death's gentle hand 

With kindly touch effaced. 

So calm, so still — 

The peace that veiled the dead ! 
Were death not mute 

Those parted lips had said, 

"O, ye that mourn 

A selfish grief ye give; 
Restrain your tears 

To shed for those that live. 

"I mount above ! 

Borne home on angels wings, 
To join the choir 

That heavenly anthems sings.'' 




CHAPTER XXI. 

EASTER SERMON PREACHD BY ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE AT SALEM 
— THE KINGS SEAL. 

Scripture lesson, John XX. Text, Luke XXIV, 6; "He is not here 
but is risen; remember how he spake unto you when he was yet 
in Galilee." Subject, TheLord is Risen. 

E ALL remember that Jesus our Savior was accused 
| by the Jewish authorities and false witnesses testi- 
fied against him, and their testimony agreed not 
together and he was sent from one tribunal to another'and 
was mocked, scourged, derided, and spit upon, till at length 
it was put upon Pilate to pass judgment and deliver the 
death sentence, but after all this Jewish formality Pilate 
rendered judgment in his favor, saying "I find no fault in 
him," and he washed his hands before the people, as much 
as to say, my hands are clear of this man's blood. But 
the Jews clamored for his condemnation, and said, ' 'Cru- 
cify him, crucify him, his blood be upon us and our child- 
ren." Then he was led away and crucified between two 
thieves; and even while he hung on the cross he was accused 
and derided by the mob saying, "he saved others, himself 
he cannot save. If thou be the Son of God come down 
from the cross." But his mission was to suffer and die for 
a sinful world. But God shortened his sufferings; he died 
much sooner than the others who underwent the same tor- 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 37 

ture. When Joseph, of Aramathea came to Pilate to beg 
the body that he might give it a decent burial, Pilate mar- 
veled that he was already dead, and would not consent, till 
the fact was attested to by the centurian. When the body 
•of the Lord was taken down from the cross and wrapped 
in clean linen and laid in Joseph's new tomb, and a great 
stone rolled against the door, Mary Magdalene and Mary, 
the mother of Jesus, and other women who followed him 
from Galilee also stood by, and with sad hearts and weep- 
ing eyes beheld the burial. 

And the next day the chief priests and the pharisees 
came to Pilate and said, "we remember that this deceiver 
said while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise 
again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure 
until the third day, or his disciples will come by night and 
steal him away and say to the people he is risen from the 
dead. And Pilate said, ' 'you have a watch, go and make 
it sure as you can." So they went and made the sepulchre 
sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch. 

We may observe here that his enemies took the utmost 
precaution that his body should not be stolen; even placing 
the king's seal upon the tomb, to tamper with which, was 
certain death, and setting a watch besides, who were under 
the penalty of death if found sleeping. This only made 
the evidence of the resurection very much stronger. It is 
needless to remind a people who plead for simplicity of 
apostolic teaching, that there is no scriptural command for 
the observance of Easter. The word Easter only occurs 
once in the New Testament and that is in Acts XII, where 
Herod killed James, and because it pleased the Jews, put 
Peter in prison. It was in the days of unleavened bread, 
and it is claimed by the best critics, that the word should 



I38 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

have been translated "passover" instead of our modern 
Easter. 

There is no necessity of keeping this day as a time o 
great festivity, in eating a great many eggs and sweetmeats, 
for we are reminded every first day of the week of the 
great miracle of the resurrection. But it may be profitable 
to us, on at least one day of the year, to consider more 
closely the fact of the resurrection, as it bears such an 
important relation to us and our holy religion. In speak- 
ing of our Lord Jesus, Paul says, "He was made of the 
seed of David according to flesh, but declared to be the 
Son of God, with power according to the spirit of holiness 
by the resurrection from the dead." In our divine religion 
we must have a solid rock-built foundation to stand upon. 
This we have in the fact as confessed by the Apostle Peter 
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Upon this fact rests 
the whole structure of the church and its religious belief, 
and "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The 
atonement, the authority of Christ as a teacher, his power 
and ability to fulfill his promises, and many other impor- 
tant principles of religion all rest upon this foundation. 
Upon this rock or foundation stone he built his church. 

The place the resurrection holds in the testimony that 
Christ is the Son of God, is a central place. Around the 
facts establishing his son-ship, revolve all the testimony of 
prophets and apostles. If Christ had not risen from the 
dead, the apostles would never have preached another ser- 
mon; they would have gone to their fishing, net making, 
tax gathering, and whatever they could find to do. One 
said, "we trusted that it was he that should redeem Israel." 
But their hopes of this temporal redemption had all van- 
ished, when Jesus died on the cross. Paul says, 'Tf Christ 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 39 

" is not risen then is our preaching vain, and your faith is 
also vain." If Christ did not rise from the dead, then he 
is not God's son; his death had no more significance than 
the death of Socrates or Plato or any other great good man 
whose name is recorded on the page of history. If he is 
not raised we cannot preach remission of sins through his 
name, and our faith in him as a Savior is vain; and our 
peace and joy in the gospel have vanished. But the Jewish 
Sabbath is passed, the first day of the week is about to dawn, 
good holy wide awake women are beginning to stir; they have 
prepared spices and precious ointment to anoint the body 
of Jesus. They are no cowards, not afraid to go to a grave- 
yard when it is a little dark. Mary Magdalene, who had 
been possessed of seven evil spirits was now filled with the 
divine spirit, and was not afraid of any spirit that might be 
lurking about the tombs. But she was not aware of the 
watch or the sealing of the tomb, but thought she would 
be first there to anoint the body of her benefactor. All 
that worried her was who shall roll away the stone that I 
may gain admittance to the sepulchre. But lo, when 
she arrived at the spot, the stone was rolled away and she 
peered in through the dim twilight — could she believe her 
eyes, he was not there! the linen in which he was wrapped 
lay there and the napkin that was bound about his face was 
carefully wrapped together and laid in a place by itself, 
demonstrating that there had been neither haste nor skir- 
mish in robbing the tomb of its occupant. Poor, despon- 
dent, heart-broken women, where is your Lord ? 

She went and told Peter and John and they came run- 
ning to see the empty sepulchre, but they had not the 
patience to wait and linger near the spot where had lain the 
dearest friend they had on earth, as did the weeping Mary. 



140 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

She felt that she must look again into the empty vault, 
that so lately held the object of her love. And behold! two 
angels in white raiment sitting one at the head and the 
other at the feet of the place where Jesus had lain. And 
they said unto her "Woman why weepest thou?" And 
she answered, "because they have taken away my Lord 
and I know not where they have laid him," and when she 
had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus but 
knew him not. And he said unto her, "Woman, why 
weepest thou? Whom seekest thou ?" She supposed him 
to be the gardener and said unto him, "Sir, if ye 
have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him 
and I will take him away." 

Jesus said unto her, "Mary." At the enunciation of 
this word her understanding was opened and her bewilder- 
ment dispelled. She seemed as much born into a new 
world as Noah when he came out from the ark. With 
open arms and joy-lit countenance she exclaimed "Raboni" 
which is master. 

Methinks I see him stepping apace when she would 
have caught him by the feet to worship. "Touch me not, 
for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go," oh 
this word ' 'go' ' though she loved him with all her heart 
and would have gladly stayed all day and worshiped him 
and listened to his story of the "silent realm but just 
explored, " but he said "go to my brethren and say to them 
1 ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and 
your God." What! a woman sent to preach the gospel to 
men ! Can it be possible ! And this woman recognized 
as sister to the Lord Jesus? "My Father and your Father, " 
then they were brother and sister. O. what a wonderful 
Christ! Wonderful Savior. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 141 

"And I have often wandered, thinking of the story 
And thinking of the meaning of that empty grave, 

If Mary's joys amidst the resurrection glory 
Were not then multiplied by all the joys she gave." 

But where were the watch ? When the mighty angel 
came down and rolled back the stone they became as dead 
men, and fell to the earth. What did the angel care for 
the king's seal or the pharisees guard ? And when they 
came to themselves they sneaked off and came into the 
city and made known to the chief priests all that was done. 
Then these priests and elders counselled together and gave 
a large amount of money to these soldiers — bribed them 
to go and tell that his friends came and stole him away 
while we slept. What ! the watch asleep ! Why that is a 
crime punishable by death. And who will believe your 
testimony, when you testify to a thing that happened when 
you were so sound asleep, that a company of men could 
come, and break the seal, roll back the ponderous stone, 
and carry a dead man away and not. wake you. Nonsense, 
not even a fool would receive such testimony. But this is 
the testimony that infidels accept in preference to the tes- 
timony of over five hundred noble christian men and women. 
The world by wisdom knew not God. When Robert Els- 
mere had gained all the worldly wisdom he could gather 
from Esquire Vendover's immense library, he was ready to 
renounce his charge in the parish where hundreds were 
looking up to him for spiritual food, relinquish his charities 
and turn persistently against the noble, generous-hearted 
companion of his youth, and deny the divinity of Christ, 
and the miracles of the Old and New Testaments. All the 
good that can be said of him in this period of his life was, 
that he acted honest to his own convictions. This is what 
worldly wisdom does. 



142 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Paul, after exhorting the Collosian brethren to be 
rooted, built up in Christ and stablished in the faith as they 
had been taught; warned them not to let any man spoil 
them through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradi- 
tion of men and the rudiments of the world, and not after 
Christ. (Col. II, 8.) It was not alone necessary that Christ 
should die on the cross, but that he should rise from the 
dead, and bring life and immortality to light through the 
gospel. He was delivered for our offences, but raised for 
our justification. The resurrection completed the ponder- 
ous chain of evidence that the Father provided to defend 
the claims of his only-begotten Son. Some one may ask, 
"how does the resurrection prove that Christ is the Son of 
God?" Christ frequently spoke of this miracle before his 
death. At one time when he was speaking in the presence 
of the scribes an pharisees with such power and authority 
they demanded of him a sign that he was the Son of God. 
He said, "A weak and adulterous nation seek after a sign, 
but there shall be no sign given them but the sign of Jonah; 
for Jonah was for three days and three nights in the whales 
stomach so shall the Son of Man be three days and three 
nights in the heart of the earth." 

And when he had driven the money changers with 
their oxen, sheep and droves out of the temple, the Jews 
demanded of him a sign of his authority, and he answered, 
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." 
He spoke of the temple of his body, but they understood 
in a literal sense and accused him of blasphemy. Now if 
Jesus rose not from the dead these prophesies were never 
fulfilled. Where are the witnesses of his resurrection? Put 
them on the witness stand, impanel an honest jury, install 
a just judge. The witnesses who first saw him were women. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. [43 

Could they be mistaken ? Surely not, for they were those 
who ministered to his daily wants, and sat at his feet to 
hear the divine messages fall from his lips, and had been 
healed of infirmities by this Great Physician. Their testi- 
mony was "we have seen the Lord. " Two disciples walked 
and talked with him as they went to Emaus and he tarried 
and he tarried and eat with them and made himself known 
in breaking bread. Their testimony was, "the Lord is 
risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon.' 1 And while 
they were yet speaking to the disciples, Jesus stood in their 
midst and said, "peace be unto you;" but they were fright 
ened and terrified and supposed they had seen a spirit, but 
Jesus said, "why are ye troubled? Behold my hands and 
my feet, that it is myself. Handle me; a spirit hath not 
flesh and bones as you see. me have;" and before they were 
recovered of their astonishment, he said, "have ye any 
meat," and they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and a 
honey comb and he did eat before them. Then he said all 
things which were spoken by Moses and the prophets and 
the Psalms concerning me must be fulfilled. Then opened 
he their understanding that they might understand the 
scriptures. And he said, "thus it is written and thus it 
behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the 
third day, that repentance and remission of sins might be 
preached through his name to all nations beginning at Jeru- 
salem." 

Next, we will bring the seven who were fishing on the 
sea of Galilee and hear their testimony. They had toiled 
all night and caught nothing. A stranger called to them 
from the shore, saying, "Children have you any meat?" 
Then he told them to cast the net on the right side of the 
ship; they obeyed his command and could not draw the net 



144 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

for the multitude of fishes; and as soon as they saw this 
miracle John said to Peter, "it is the Lord, " and when 
they came to shore, they found Jesus prepared to supply 
their wants as had been his custom, for a fire of coals was 
there and bread and fish laid thereon to bake, that he might 
satisfy their hunger. 

And next we will call Thomas, poor doubting Thomas, 
he was determined not to believe that Christ was risen upon 
the testimony of others. He was one of these fellows who 
don't believe anything but what they see. He said, "I 
will not believe till I put my fingers in the print of the nails 
in his hands and thrust my hand into his wounded side." 
Not many days after this the disciples were convened 
together and Thomas with them, and Jesus appeared in 
their midst, the doors being shut. And he turned to 
Thomas and said, "reach hither thy finger and behold my 
hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side 
and be not faithless but believing." 

This was enough, and he exclaimed, "My Lord and 
my God," And Jesus said unto him, "because thou hast 
seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not 
seen, and yet believed." There were more than five hun- 
dred witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, (i Cor. XV, 
6.) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all corroborate the 
woman's early visit to the empty tomb, and the presence 
of angels. Mark and Luke both tell of his appearing to 
two disciples as they were going to Emeaus. John was an 
eye witness. When he first saw the empty sepulchre the 
truth of the resurrection flashed across his mind. 

Now comes the last witness, but not the least, Paul, as 
one born out of due time, heard his voice and felt his pres- 
ence on his way to Damascus. He is a strong witness, for 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 45 

he was one of the most bitter enemies to the cause of 
Christ, till the Lord met him in the way; then he turned 
himself about and espoused the cause he had so bitterly 
persecuted, and suffered all manner of persecution and tor- 
tures while preaching his gospel. Paul says that Christ 
died according to the scriptures and he was not ignorant of 
what the Old Testament scriptures taught concerning him. 
Now we have had the testimony of this great cloud of 
witnesses, to the fact of the resurrection. Infidels have 
predicted that in a few decades the church would be dead, 
but it is living and flourishing more to-day than ever before, 
while infidelity is merging into the back grounds. For 
eighteen hundred years people have been joining the church 
to the amount of millions on the strength of the resurrec- 
tion. Without the resurrection, Christ is but a mere man, 
the gospel and the church are but an empty sham. But 
we know that such a gigantic impulse could not come from 
a fabricated falsehood. The great zeal and courage of the 
early disciples are a strong proof that Jesus rose from the 
dead. When he was condemned to die they all forsook 
him, even brave and impetuous Peter denied him in his 
very presence. Their hopes were overshadowed by dark- 
est clouds. Their cause appeared hopelessly lost; but after 
the resurrection, what a change, what zeal they manifested; 
with what boldness they preached the gospel to the multi- 
tudes, what miracles they wrought in Jesus name, what per- 
secutions they were willing to suffer, rather than to 
renounce the name of their heavenly Leader ! They were 
brought before counsels and kings and contended face to 
face with angry mobs, but they never swerved nor faltered, 
because they were begotten to a lively hope by the resur- 
rection of Christ from the dead. They were not only 



I46 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

enthused and encouraged by his resurrection, but after 
he had opened up the scriptures to their understand- 
ing and gave them their commission he led them out as 
far as Bethany, near the home of Mary and Martha and 
Lazarus; this was one of his pleasant resorts, the very gate 
of heaven to his soul, and he lifted up his hands and blessed 
them and in this gracious act he was parted from them and 
carried up into heaven. 

This was no small part of their joy and comfort, and 
they returned to Jerusalem and were continually in the 
temple praising and blessing God. And when the day of 
pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in 
one place, and according to the promise of their risen and 
ascended Lord, they were all filled with the holy ghost and 
began to speak in unknown tongues as the spirit gave utter- 
ance. And Peter preached a great sermon which was heard 
and understood by every nation and tongue represented in 
the audience, showing by Moses and the prophets that 
Jesus was the Christ. The Jews were well aware they had 
put him to death, but Peter said, "of his resurrection we 
are all witnesses.'' They were here to deny it. but the tes- 
timony was too powerful, they were pricked in the heart 
and cried out, "Men and brethren, what must we do?" 
Peter answered them, "repent every one of you and be 
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of 
sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And 
through, the agency of this first gospel sermon, three thous- 
and souls were converted. This was an overwhelming evi- 
dence of the resurrection of Christ. It is a fact of history 
and cannot be confuted by any sound testimony. The best 
legal talent in the world declares the evidences of Chris- 
tianity as a fact. And examining the resurrection in the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. [47 

same light we find its evidence equally convincing. This 
gives us Christ as the Son of God — the atoning sacrifice for 
the sins of the world, and the gospel as the power of God 
unto salvation to every one that believeth. It also estab- 
lishes the verity of the Old Testament scriptures. Christ 
bore witness to them and fulfilled many of the prophesies. 
We need not hesitate to accept the miracles of the Old and 
New Testament. If Christ arose all the miracles are true. 
That Easter morning long ago, began a new era in the his- 
tory of man. The sun arose that morning and shone upon 
a tomb robbed of the terrors of death; and the sun of 
righteousness had arisen to draw all men unto- him. He 
burst the bands of death for it was not possible that he 
could be holden of it. He took the sting from the fangs 
of death and broke the bars of the silent grave and poured 
in a flood of light to illuminate the path to the open gates 
of heaven and eternal life, where Jesus is seated at the 
right hand of God, there to remain till all enemies are sub- 
dued and his foes made his foot-stool. Then he will come 
in the clouds and every eye shall see him, and those who 
pierced him shall behold him; and with him shall be a con- 
voy of angels who shall gather everything out of his king- 
dom that offendeth and the New Jerusalem shall come down 
from God out of heaven prepared as a bride for her hus- 
band and the tabernacle of God shall be with men and God 
himself shall dwell with them and be their God. 

Amen. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF S. A. HOWENSTINE BY ELDER A. 
M. GILLESPIE. 

JN THE moulding and influencing of churches, there are 
many circumstances and associations in our lives that 
form a prominent part. Especially are we indebted to 
consecrated, whole-souled, conscientious and loving Chris- 
tians. Their influence is such that it cannot be measured, 
in the untold good that has sprung from a life truly in 
Christ Jesus. Such has been the life of S. A. Howenstine 
to us. While we believe a pure and holy life springs from 
Christ and that we are begotten into this new life by the 
word of truth; yet we also believe that he who wishes to 
reach that perfect life in Jesus is stimulated to greater 
efforts by his brother who has reached or even surpassed 
our standard or highest mark. 

In our acquaintances; yes I would say in our intimate 
relationship, both in family ties and frequent companion- 
ship in the work of love to our Master; nothing outside 
of Gods word itself has influenced us more in being self- 
sacrificing and devoted to the cause of Christ than by the 
noble example and worthy life of our departed brother. 
Preyious to his work in the ministry, whenever we would 
chance to meet, after inquiring about the health and gen- 
eral welfare of the family, crops, &c. , the question would 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 49 

most surely come. ''How is your Sunday school prosper- 
ing?" referring to the school which we were trying to sup- 
erintend. Then after a few remarks from us, he would tell 
of the new charts and illuminated lessons he had procured 
for the purpose of impressing the lesson upon the mind's of 
the scholars, and to interest the little ones. He would tell 
of the "birthday box," and that nearly every Sunday some 
one or more would make their birthday contribution or 
offering of a penny for each year of their age. Again he 
would say, "I have a book of normal lessons," and "that 
they had organized a normal class in connection with the 
Sunday school." So many things about Abraham, Moses, 
Children of Israel, Life of Christ, and the Missionary 
Journeys of St. Paul, the Great Apostles to the Gentiles, 
that I would feel ashamed and go to work with renewed 
energy to search the scriptures and bring out new and inter- 
esting points in the lessons. The Sunday school work was 
a most plsasant and interesting one to our brother. He 
always procured a Standard Sunday school lesson comen- 
tary and went before the school well prepared. These 
comentaries he prized very much, and kept them for future 
reference. 

Once a preacher, of a peculiar kind, if I may use the 
expression, who was stopping with him, was opposed to 
the lesson helps in Sunday schools but would use the com- 
entaries in preparing his sermons. Then Brother Solon 
would say, "if it is wrong to use the helps in Sunday 
school we should not use them in preaching the word." 

Man, Oh ! curious thing is he 
For trifles will contentious be, 
Arid turn from the spirit real 
To mj^sticism and superstition deal. 



I50 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

There is nothing like putting sunshine into everything 
we undertake to do. And this is one of the things our 
brother always did. Tnis sunshine would cheer up the 
little ones and make things bright and lively, even taking 
away the dark foreboding clouds that often hang over the 
minds of many older ones. 

Thus, from him we have learned lessons of earnest- 
ness and cheerfulness in his Sunday school work. Many 
times in my life have I seen the clouds as they hovered 
around and above, giving a chill of despondency that was 
not altogether pleasant, break away at the very approach 
of our friend, as we could see his face beaming with bright- 
ness. We always knew we were welcome to his presence, 
for at first glance of us he would reach out his hand, or 
give some sign, as a taken of joyful recognition. 

One of the principles of Christianity in which I take 
a deep interest, is that of missionary work, sending the 
gospel (by which we have been made to rejoice in sins for- 
given) to all the world. In this was Elder Howenstine at 
the front with his missionary talks and sermons, collections 
and barrels for the little folks. The first foreign missionary 
collection ever taken at the Saturn church was after Brother 
Howenstine had given a talk on this subject; and this was 
before he commenced work in the ministry. 

He always took the collection in March at his preach- 
ing points. At the beginning of his ministry he preached 
for a congregation that gave him but a small compensation 
yet he did not fail to present the claims of the missions, 
and take the collections. When churches were behind on 
his salary, although he was in need of money, he would 
make a strong plea for money to send the gospel to the 
heathen. His own claims he kept in the background when 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 151 

it came time for the missionary collection. 

Now he has gone to his reward, and who would sup- 
pose that he or any other person who has made such sacri- 
fices for the extention of a free salvation and the rescue 
of perishing souls from death unto life would ever regret 
the effort put forth, or the sacrifice made. "Yea, rather 
blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it." 
How much better to do what Jesus has commanded and 
have the blessing promised, than to have so much of this 
world and no promise in eternity. 

Our brother's life was one of inspiration. Inspiring; 
those about him to greater undertakings and achievements. 
He just laughed at discouragements. "If God be for us. 
who can be against us." For we are dead and our life is» 
hid with Christ in God. I once accompanied him to Aboite 
Center where he had an appointment to preach. I think 
it was his second effort from home, and he was very mucin 
embarrassed and sweat profusely. As soon as we were 
out of the church building he said to me, thinking he had 
made a failure, "I will not let this discourage me." 
Neither did it, for he increased in stature, and strength as a 
minister of the gospel very rapidly. "From the abund- 
ance of the heart the mouth speaketh. " The tongue is 
an unruly member, yet it is an index to the heart, makes 
manifest the desires and purposes of each individual. "By 
thy words shalt thou be justified, and by thy words shalt 
thou be condemned." So by their fruit ye shall know 
them. Thereby was our brother known — by a pure and 
wholesome conversation, free from enmity and hatred of 
his fellow men, yet with no love for sin and its evils. Never 
to my knowledge did his language indicate a disposition or 
desire to injure or harm a single individual. Truly I can 



] \2 



FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 



iy that I have nothing to regret in being so intimately 
connected with S. A. Howenstine, but much in which I 
can rejoice over as I realize the stimulus and the encour- 
agement I received from him whom I so dearlv loved. 

A. M, Gillespie. 





CHAPTER XXIII. 
THE STORY OF A PRECIOUS LIFE. 

^>S THE days, weeks and months, each come and go, 

fl They take the autumn leaves, and winter comes with snow; 

| But while fleeting time passes so quietly and quickly by, 

It cannot sooth the aching heart or dry the tearful eye. 
With all the comforting, and cheering words from each other, 
Our minds still wonder back, to the departure of our dear brother. 

Who was such a kind papa, loving husband, and dutiful son, 
A dear kind brother, an earnest Christian, a most loveable one. 
We turn from this scene in sad and solemn reflection 
To Him, from whom there cometh, allwise protection, 
And say in our aching hearts, as did God's dear Son, 
"Not my will, O Father, but thine be done." 

We have heard our parents relate in their fondest ways 
The many events in Solon's earliest childhood days, 
How he wandered along the river and clambered the hill, 
Of his great enjoyment about the home place, and the old water-mill. 
We have heard them tell of the joy of his first school days, 
Of the pride he took in his lessons, as well as his plays. 

How he helped to lighten the burden of household cares. 

And thus banished the worried looks, that a tired mother wears. 

With rapturous heart, and anxious spirit, he tried to do his best 

At helping arrange for the sale, and preparing to come to "the west." 

When here in a country so unimproved, so wild, and so new, 

Through sickness and trouble, he manfully helped at all he could do. 



154 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

And later, though yet in his boyhood, come events of our own rec- 

olection; 
But of all that comes in our mind, there is naught on which to cast a 

reflection. 

We can truthfully say that in all our lives we never have heard 

Him take God's name in vain, or use a low or vulgar word. 

From early youth to manhood, his general disposition was lively and 
pleasant; 

No social party had lack of humor or joke, whenever he was present. 

When we were all but children at home and took great pleasure in play. 
Solon was our happy leader, while thus we spent many a happy day. 
He was kind and playful with us younger children, we well recollect 
Therefore we could but love him and treat him with due respect. 
We remember how he used to wake us, at the early dawn of day. 
With one of his favorite tunes, which on the mouth harp he used to play. 

He always treated his parents, brother and sisters with kind respect, 
It seemed there was no duty, that willingly he would ever neglect. 
He was always willing to bear his part, in whate'er the burden might be, 
At labor on farm, at his books, or building up society: 
While in his teens ho joined the Good Templars and signed the pledge 
This seemed to be, in after years, his great foundation ledge. 

He was an active member in lyceums where 'twas his lot to attend 

Especially in discussions, he delighted a helping hand to lend. 

Circumstances uncontrolable prevented his getting an early education. 

But by untiring efforts and home study, he successfully passed exam- 
ination. 

When once enlisted as teacher, his school work was his highest 
ambition. 

His labors were crowned with success and fond hopes were lost in glad 
fruition. 

Besides his farm work and teaching, he learned the carpenter's trade, 
Nor will we forget his success as a penman and the lovely drawings 

he made. 
In early manhood days, he laid the foundation of a useful life, 
And then crowned all by embracing religion, and renouncing all sinful 

strife. 
From his boyhood days he faithfully filled his place in the Sabbath 

school, 
At the old school house though sometimes barefoot, regardless of 

fashions rule. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 55 

And in later years as Sunday school teacher, he filled his place, 

He was chosen superintendent, in which he nobly succeeded, by God 

given grace. 
It seemed his heart and soul, and his work for Christ was centered there; 
And to conduct the school, to accomplish good, was his utmost care. 
Many hours he spent and midnight oil he burnt, a thorough knowledge 

to gain, 
And much labor was spent in drawing maps to make the lessons plain. 

His interest in church far exceeded his Sunday school work, 

The prayer-meetings were feasts for his soul, there, from duty he never 

would shirk: 
But was always prepared to give a plain, and practical talk; 
Rehearsing God's promises and soliciting all in Christ's footsteps to walk 
He was chosen as elder, the position he humbly filled, as best he could — 
Oft we saw him, as by the sacred emblems, with quivering lips, in 

prayer he stood. 

The weekday prayermeeting was never forgotten, no, he was willingly 

there, 
Unless sickness or uncontrollable circumstances called him to some 

earthly care. 
Long suffering and patience so much he practiced in the christian race; 
The faults and short-comings of others ne'er caused him to fall from 

grace. 
Through rain or snow or with tired and aching limbs, he would go 
To perform the duty he owed to Christ, and, that the good seed he 

might sow. 

Thus by his faithfulness from the beginning of his christian warfare, 
He was considered competent, to take a greater charge to his care. 
Through Bro. Hummel' s influence the church authorized him to preach. 
And now he realized his weakness, and, as he thought, inability to teach. 
But with his never faltering spirit, and the love of God supreme in 

his heart. 
He humbly bowed in submission, and said by the grace of God, I'll do 

my part. 

He went to work with zealous care, to search the scripture and gospel 

word, 
That he might be a workman approved, rightly dividing the word of 

the Lord. 



156 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

He still lived on the farm and had the many cares belonging to this 

vocation. 
Which he found, a task too great and hindered his careful preparation. 
So he did not seek for greed and gain, brought by trafic in rich men's 

wealth, 
But his time undivided in study, we fear, proved a bane to genuine 

health. 

His first years work was not for churches with a well filled fold; 
But for congregations which were scattered and somewhat cold. 
He labored prayerfully and earnestly, helping to make wrongs right. 
To gather in the scattered ones and save them from eternal night. 
The churches at Salem and Saturn, his second year's work and daily care 
Were better organized and very much stronger in faith, love and prayer. 

And were in fair spiritual condition with zeal for the Master's cause, 
Which gave him courage and strength to labor under Christ's whole- 
some laws. 
In his third year Salem, Saturn and Little River were his ample field, 
But early in the year he was called to a church, that promised a much 

larger yeild 
Of the fruitage of souls, and afford him the pleasure of being at home, 
To enjoy quiet study and a larger share of pastoral work to assume. 

From his work in Fort Wayne he was sent to labor, in a meeting at 

Payne, 
Crowned with success in numbers brought in. and chosen as pastor 

there to remain. 
He accepted the position now offered, having his labor, thus all at one 

place, 
And to be with his family was an opportunity, he would gladly embrace 
He then moved there with his family and work he began, in his new 

field of labor, 
And found no lack of sympathy in christian, friend or neighbor. 

But alas ! then came so soon, the monster, dread disease, to mar 

their peace, 
And fastened on that one so dear, with hold that only death could 

now release. 
When this report came to our ears, how sad and anxious every heart; 
For we could not help nor render aid because we lived so far apart; 
But our prayers went up in his behalf, his recovery was our great desire 
But our will was not God's will, he said, "Enough, come up higher." 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 57 

Oh ! it was so hard to be reconciled to the sad, sad news that his 

spirit had fled, 
And ere we could reach him, and bid him farewell, his body was 

numbered in line with the dead; 
No friendly ties, no duties that bound him, or earthly care could 

keep him here, 
Nor the sighs of a heartbroken wife, or sobs of fatherless children, 

for one so dear. 
How sad to see the broken family return to the dear old home all 

bathed in tears, 
Leaving behind their precious dead, yet to arrive at the home of his 

childhood years. 

It was a comfort to us who had gathered there, with hearts o'er- 

whelmed with grief 
To meet the broken family and share their sorrow for one, of a life 

so brief. 
But now came the time which we can find no language to full}" or 

clearl} T portra}", 
When in the gloom of the night the hearse arrived with its burden 

of human clay. 
Oh, could it be; and must he return to home and friends, fast locked 

in death's embrace, 
Silent, jet speaking comfort and peace by the sweet smile he wore 

on his face. 

It is over — and the rest of us meet as we oftimes did before, 

At the dear home with the grandchildren, almost a score; 

But not with the same unclouded happiness as we did when last we met 

On the fourth of November, 1892, a day of rare enjoyment we ne'er 

can forget. 
Ah no ! the family circle seems a chain with a sadly missing link: 
Like a ship from a storm with a broken mast, floating near the brink. 

But we must seek to mend these breaks by the golden links of love; 
And by the hope of meeting our loved ones in that bright home above. 
We must seek to let our sadness, merge in the shadows of the past, 
And by christian usefulness, serve God as long as life shall last: 
Then we too will sweetly and peacefully fall into death's embrace, 
And our waiting spirits will gladlv go to God's own appointed place. 

— Minnie Kaufman. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

F^oems. 

RITTEN in behalf of the Aid Society of the Church 
■ of Christ at Forest, Ind., of which Sister White 
fNp^r} was a worthy member. 

IN MEMORY OF ALICE WHITE. 




Sweet 1 Alice, we have known the from a child 
With golden hair and sparkling eyes 

And rosy lips that sweetly smiled — 
No cloud hung o'er thy sunny skies. 

We saw thee in girlhood's happy days 
When 'mong us, thou didst gayly move, 

We loved thy meek and quiet ways — 
Yes, none knew thee but to love. 

We saw thee when a happy bride, 
With fond hope in glad fruition lost, 

With thy loving husband by thy side, 
Whom troubled seas had not yet tossed. 

We saw thee when a loving mother — 

Two little cherubs by thy knee; 
But one so quickly left his brother 

And sailed across the * 'narrow sea." 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 59 

Again we saw thee take thy place 

'Mong those who worship at the cross, 

When thou didst feel thy need of grace, 
To help thee bear this grievous loss. 

We saw the quivering of thy palid lip. 

The throbbing of thy heart, we almost heard, 
When Jesus with his finger's tip 

Touched thy heart with his own word. 

And when the inviting voice was heard, 

We saw the gently forward move, 
Nor even wait, nor linger back, 

For him who shared thy grief and love. 

We saw thee stand before the throng, 
And heard that worthy Name confess'd, 

And saw thee sink into the liquid grave 
And rise with joy and pardon blest. 

We saw thee in the walks of life 

Go out among us day by day; 
Endure the toil, and pain, and strife, 

While heavenly grace illum'ed thy way. 

We saw thee when the icy hand of death 

Was laid upon thy heaving breast; 
No murmur with thy labored breath — 

But only longing for that blessed rest. 

Look up, sad ones and dry your tears, 

This gem to you was but a loan; 
You have enjoyed it through these years, 

But God has lately called it home. 



l60 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Yes, the precious wife and mother, 
Has entered through the pearly gates, 

To meet her son, and Elder Brother 

Jesus Christ, whose welcome ever waits. 

— By Lydia Howenstine. 



The following lines were written for the Howenstine 
reunion, by L. Howenstine, and spoken by Florence Gill- 
espie : 

GREETING TO THE REUNION. 

The storms of early spring are past, 
And lovely May with sunny June 
And August's fiercer heat; 
Have come and gone and autumn's here at last, 
And we are here our friends to greet. 

From east to west and north and south 
Are gathered to this pleasant grove, 

With rich enjoyment rife; 
Fond hearts that throb with dearest ties 
To mingle here in peace and love. 

We have prepared our cakes and pies, 
And chickens, veal, and cheese, and beef, 

And sundries thrown between; 
Jam and butter, jellies and fruit, 

Stand out in bold yet grand relief. 

Seats and tables we've made to hold 
The bounties of our ample feast, 

That here to-day is spread; 
And chairs and cushions for the old 

And cabs for "babies from the east." 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. • l6l 

We hope that all alike will feel 
Entitled to these goodly things 

Provided by your western friends; 
And let your cares and troubles fly away 
As though they were on eagle's wings. 

The roll is called, response is made 
Each one in answer to his name, 

That in this list appears; 
But many a flower will droop and fade 
Ere thus we all shall meet again. 

A greater meeting yet remains 
Beyond the shores and bounds of time, 

In that bright land above. 
We'll there forget our losses and our gains , 
If we but reach that heavenly clime. 

Oh, who in gladness will be there 
To answer to this solemn call, 

That from the record comes? 
The aged ones, the young and fair, 

The wise, the simple, great and small. 

Rich feasts of love will there be spread, 
And music charm our ravished ears. 
That comes from angel's harp 
When pain and sorrow both have fled 

And God hath wiped away our tears. 

But parting there will not be known; 
And rest and sabbath never end 

In that fair and happy land. 
And peace and friendship joy and love, 

In heavenly light forever blend. 



1 62 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

Now friends, farewell, good bye, adieu! 
We wish you all a kind good night, 

And happy dreams withall. 
Be cheerful, patient, good and true, 

And walk by faith in God's own light. 



AN APRIL SUNSET. 

Written by the "writer" Sunday evening, April 22nd, 

1894. 

Four days of dark and gloomy weather, 
No ray of sunshine thrown between, 
But drizzling rain and sleet together 
Made the hours drag slowly on. 

And weary children fretful grew 

Because their room a prison seemed; 
They watched the pattering of the rain, 

And o'er their childish visions dreamed. 

The weary mother bore about 

A heavy load of household care — 
Cast anxious glances at the clouds, 

And longed for weather, dry and lair. 

The sheep were huddled in the fold 
The lambs were like the children, dull; 

The grass was wet, and stiff, and cold, 
The cows were lowing on the wold. 

The early garden, sorry looked — 

With onions peeping through the ground; 

And lettuce prematurely cooked, 
In "cruel frosts" unwelcome round. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. [63 

The robin sat upon her nest 

From early 'morn till dusky night — 
From her building she must rest 

While things are in this dismal plight. 

The cat was lying by the fire 

Her downy paws spread out to warm. 
The dog was whining at the door, 

Driven there by rain and storm. 

m 

The father laid the ' 'paper" by 

To go and do his evening "chores" — 
He takes a prospect of the sky 

And to his work reluctant goes. 



&' 



But lo ! a brightness in. the "west" 
Breaks through the parting clouds; 

And glitters on the woodland's breast, 
And all the world in beauty shrouds. 

The house, the barn, the windmill tall 
Are burnished o'er with shining gold. 

The columns, and the castle wall 
Are dressed in beauty yet untold. 

Oh ! who this scene of radiance can behold 
And not awaken holy thought 

Of Him who tinges all with gold 
That his Omnipotence may touch. 

O let our hearts reach out to Him 
That we His beauties may adore — 

O let our souls be ever filled 

That we may hunger never more. 



164 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

The following is a letter written to an intimate friend, 
and one among the last ever written by our beloved S. A. 
Howenstine, which came into our hands after all the fore- 
going pages were written : 

Payne, Ohio, July 29, 1863. 

Mr. H. Kaufman, Valparaiso, Lid. : 

My Dear Friend — I received your letter some time 
ago and was glad to hear from you once more. I thought 
I would get to see you on my way to Chicago, but was 
disappointed. However, 1 had a very pleasant time with 
Brother Smith and Prof. H. B. Brown; I wish I could be 
with you going to school there; but I am doing some hard 
studying at home this summer. It seems strange to me to 
have no farm work to do this summer, but I am working 
harder than ever I did on the farm. My work on Sunday 
is, first, 9:30, teach a class in Sunday school and there were 
forty-five in it last Sunday; at 10:45 wc have our commun- 
ion; at 11:00, preaching. Then I go five miles in the 
country and preach at 3:30 p. m., then come back to town 
for Y. P. S. C. E. at 7:00, and at 8:00 preach. So you see 
I am very busy. On Monday evening I am at home. On 
Tuesday evening I go out in the country in another direc- 
tion and preach. Wednesday evening we have our prayer 
meeting and Bible reading; Thursday evening at home; on 
Friday evening we have our union meeting of all the pas- 
tors and many of the members of the seven churches in 
Payne. There are seven preachers who attend the meet- 
ings: the Catholic priest does not attend. On Saturday 
evenings I rest for Sunday's labors. Our Sunday school 
has an attendance of from 160 to 180 scholars. I have 
married two couple since I came here, and received a V 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 65 

each time. When will you be ready for that event, as you 
remember the bargain. We like Payne first rate, and I 
find we can live elsewhere just as well as at Forest. I was 
offered 126 acres of well improved land near Geneva, Ind., 
for my property in Fort Wayne, but I dont want a farm 
now. Harris, when you write to me, I want to know 
whether you go to Sunday school and church, and if you 
have become a Christian yet ? If you have not, I beg of 
you not to put it off too long. You are preparing to live 
and to fill some important place in life, but death may over- 
take you before you are prepared to meet it. It will not 
cost you anything to make preparation to meet God. And 
without it you lose all, both in this life and in the life to 
come. With the preparation to die you are better pre- 
pared to live. Tell me how Robert is getting along in the 
west. Give me his address and I will write to bun. I 
wish you could come and visit us during vacation — the 
Paulding County Institute will be held at Payne the second 
week in August. Come and attend it. I will board you 
free. Prof. Smith, president of Angola Normal School 
lectures here August nth. 

I must close. This leaves us well and we hope it may 
find you enjoying the same great blessing. Little Nellie 
would like to see you. I remain yours as ever. 

S. A. HOWENSTINE. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



CONCLUSION. 



^Ssafisl^E HAVE now briefly narrated the principle events 
■■\lXlX in the beautiful and interesting - life of Elder S. A. 
iT^rai Howenstine. But in conversing with persons, from 
time to time, with whom he was intimately acquainted dur- 
ing his ministerial and pastoral work, we learn of many 
things of interest and worthy of notice and imitation, which 
will not be found recorded in this little volume. 

Well might the beloved disciple say in the concluding 
chapter of his Gospel, "There are many other things 
which Jesus did, which are not recorded in this Book, 
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that 
even the world itself could not contain the books that 
should be written." 

This favored disciple felt so oyerwhelmed and amazed 
when he contemplated the love of Jesus, that he felt that 
it would require the universe to contain it; and the tongues 
of angels and redeemed spirits to express it in all its mag- 
nanimity. 

No wonder it takes much thought and research to 
record all the deeds of love and human kindness done by* 
one humble, self-sacrificing follower of this blessed Savior, 
in the space of his brief life in this world of sorrow. We 
shall now endeavor to give a short notice or account of the 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 167 

brethren and sisters of the home congregation, who passed 
through the portals of death in the same year with Elder 
Solon Howenstine. 

The year 1893 was one of great mortality in the 
Church of Christ at Forest. Early in the year — in the 
latter part of February perhaps — occurred the death of 
Sister Emery, an aged and most exemplary member of our 
congregation. Then we were not, as a church, called to 
the house of mourning again until July 2d, when our very 
dear sister, Eva J. Ihrig, was crushed to death by a loco" 
motiye engine while on her way to church at Marion, Ind. 

And our sorrow was only somewhat mitigated, when 
we were called to mourn the loss of our beautiful, fair- 
haired, sunny-tempered young sister, Delia Richmond, who 
was struck with the dismal blight of typhoid fever, and, 
like a blighted flower, withered away in one short week. 

In this same week our dearly beloved, S. A. Howen- 
stine, took his bed with the same dread disease, and a few 
days later, despite all human efforts to save his life, he had 
to succumb to the last enemy, Death. And when his 
corpse was brought home to his father's house, Mrs. Arabel 
Smith, a sister in the church and schoolmate of his youth, 
was among the mourning friends and neighbors gathered 
there to receive him, and exclaimed, "Who will be the 
next one?" 

The day following day she took her bed, and another 
week told the story of her life. She was borne away to 
the Evergreen cemetery and lain away with the rest of the 
loved ones, leaving a husband and two bright little daugh- 
ters to mourn the loss of a devoted wife and loving mother. 

Then in early winter when sunny days had almost 
vanished from the van of the year, Bro. Henry Emery fol- 



1 68 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE, 

lowed his beloved wife to that better land where she had 
so lately gone. 

A few days later his neice, Mrs. Palmer, was joined 
to the company of brothers and sisters who had crossed 
the Jordan of death. 

And before the Christmas festivities were ushered in, 
William H. Swan, an aged and highly respected citizen of 
Forest, fell asleep and was laid by his companion, who 
had been called away some twenty-five years before. 

And while we were mourning these losses and sympa- 
thizing with the bereaved, our dear young sister, Lillian 
Richards, was steadily and surely pining away with that 
self deluding disease, "Consumption ;" but her sweet life 
was prolonged till March 2, 1894, when the church was 
again draped in the emblems of deep mourning, and the 
tolling of the bell announced that another member had 
passed the portals of death and entered into life eternal. 
But as the church w r as being filled up for the funeral ser- 
vices conducted by Elder A. M. Gillespie it was -noticed 
that Brother John Bents, one of the deacons, was absent 
and it was whispered from one to another that he was ser- 
ously ill. 

After the body of Sister Lilly was consigned to its 
last resting place in Evergreen cemetery, the attention of 
the church was turned to Brother Bents and with all the 
aid that mortals could render, in one short week he bid his 
friends and family adieu, and said, "I am going to meet 
Solon. God will take care of us all." 

After we had paid the last respects and loving atten- 
tion to Brother Bents and his dear mourning family, the 
word was circulated that Sister Wince, Brother Emery's 
daughter, was very sick, with congestion of the lungs. 



LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 69 

It was but the story of death told over again and she was 
gathered to her parents who had so lately gone before. 
All these dear ones were gathered home from one church 
and one neighborhood in the space of about thirteen 
months. 

It seems like a story of romance; but it is too true. 
The empty seats in the church, the aching hearts and the 
tearful eyes are sad witnesses to the solemn fact. In our 
imagination, and through faith in the word of God, we can 
see the great company of the redeemed on the other side 
of the chilly river of death, in the paradise of God waiting 
the resurrection of the body and the second coming of 
Christ, when we that have lived in faith, obedience, and 
holiness; shall be permitted to walk the streets of the New 
Jerusalem with harps in our hands, and songs on our lips, 
in praise of Jesus our great Redeemer. 

Then we will no more remember our petty grievances, 
the earth-born sorrows, the tribulations and persecutions of 
this earth-life which is but a state of preparation, a furnace 
for the refining of gold and the separation of the dross; 
bringing out souls that are thoroughly purified by obeying 
the truth, and educated to trust God in all things, and to 
commit all to His care and keeping. 

The soul that trusts forever sings 

And soars aloft on airy wings. 
A well of peace within it springs 

Whate'er to-day or morrow brings. 



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